


One Night Stand ~ Klance

by TiaraMueller9



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lotor (Voltron), College Student Keith (Voltron), College Student Lance (Voltron), Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Sex, Gay Shiro (Voltron), Lesbian Allura (Voltron), M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-07-13 14:52:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 26,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16020206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiaraMueller9/pseuds/TiaraMueller9
Summary: Keith Aviur and Lance Creswell hated each other with every fiber of their beings. They were the fiercest of fighters, the cruelest of enemies, and rivals since youth. Everything was a competition to them; who could finish a test first, who could get with the most girls or boys, who could be the most popular. Everyone was sick of their constant bickering, especially Keith's boyfriend, the teacher's pet Shiro, and Lance's boyfriend, the bad biker boy, Lotor. So the two boyfriends made a plan for Keith and Lance to loosen up a bit with some drinks. They never expected the two boys to drink so much.After waking up together with no recollection of the night before, Keith and Lance must figure out what their true feelings are and what's next.





	1. Chapter 1

 

(Cover made by me, Tiara, the author)

Part 1

 Follow the fights of Keith and Lance, juniors in college

Learn the plans of Shiro and Lotor, seniors in college

Witness the humor of Pidge and Hunk, juniors in college

Witness the easily humored Acxa, Allura, and Coran, seniors in college


	2. Prologue

Wednesday, August 9th, 10:53 am

Fingers tangled in his hair. An arm wrapped around his waist. His hand in someone else's. Keith Aviur cuddled closer to the naked figure, smiling in contentment. He took a deep breath, inhaling the man's smells of mint and chocolate. Those scents reminded Keith of his longtime rival Lance Creswell, but no, it wouldn't be, couldn't be. Impossible. The man next to him stretched, allowing Keith's thoughts to move away from-

"Keith?" The man mumbled, his voice deep from sleep. Keith's eyes shot open and he was awake in an instant. He could recognize that voice anywhere, yet he prayed he was wrong so he could go back to the serene snuggle fest. Keith slowly turned to look at the man in his arms.

It was Lance fucking Creswell.

Dread and anger shot through him and he growled as he shoved Lance as hard as he could. Lance screeched and flailed, grabbing for Keith, the sheets, and the bed as he fell, the look of shock mirrored on both faces.

"What the fuck, Creswell?!" Keith covered himself in the sheets, his face turning bright red.

"Don't ask me! I don't remember!" Lance's face appeared at the edge of the bed. He was holding his head in pain and Keith couldn't tell if it was from the hangover Keith was suddenly feeling or the fall off the bed. "Do you remember anything from last night?"

Keith was about to come back with a snarky retort, but he realized Lance was right. He couldn't remember anything of the night before. "No."

Lance stood, covering his privates with his clothes. Keith looked away, his face flushed. "Dude, put your clothes _on_."

He heard movement and rustling of fabrics, and looked anywhere but the direction of Lance. "Alright, alright, I'm clothed."

Keith looked over, finding a shirtless Lance searching for where he threw his shirt. He felt his neck flush and he tried to tear his eyes away from Lance's skin. He saw Lance freeze and he got nervous. "What?"

"What time is it?" Lance asked, turning to look at Keith. Keith pried his eyes away from Lance's abs and checked his phone. 

"10:56."

"Shit!" Lance desperately looked around for his shirt, then found it and tugged it on.

"What?"

"Lotor's coming over in less than 5 minutes! The room's a mess!" Keith stopped listening, suddenly remembering. Lotor, Lance's boyfriend. _Boyfriend_. He had one too, Shiro Makoto. He just cheated on him. _With Lance._

"Lance, we just...we cheated on our boyfriends." Lance stopped, looking at Keith with an expression of dread that mirrored what Keith felt inside.

"Yeah, we did." Lance looked away, focusing on folding the clothes in his hands. They both stayed silent, thinking over the situation.

Then, the doorbell rang and Lotor's voice echoed through the foyer.


	3. Chapter 3

Wednesday, June 14th, 11:28 am

8 weeks before

"Eat shit, Aviur!" Lance chased after Keith, reaching uselessly for him. Keith laughed, clutching Lance's favorite jacket tightly as he raced around the school. Students jumped out of his way, cursing or cheering as he passed them.

"Make me, Creswell!"

Lance growled, pouncing forward and falling. He caught Keith's ankle, sending him tumbling down as well. Lance reached for the jacket and Keith slapped his arm away, holding the jacket just out of Lance's reach. Lance pushed himself forward, elbowing Keith in the face. Keith groaned, blood dripping from his nose. Kids were surrounding them now, always amused by their childish fights. 

"Give me my jacket!" Lance shoved Keith aside, attempting to take the jacket. Keith punched at Lance, his fist colliding with Lance's face. The students around cringed, and complained that there wasn't a crack. The jacket temporarily forgotten, they rolled over, shoving at each other as kids jumped out of the way.

Teachers were beginning to intervene, pulling the two boys off of each other. The students groaned, going back to their normal school day schedules. The two boys, still shouting insults at each other, were dragged to the principal's office.

"You already know the punishment." The principal's disappointment was clear.

"Detention for a week." Lance rolled his eyes, having already heard the briefing. The principal sighed, pushing her glasses up.

"This is the third time this week that you've fought." Her voice was quiet, distraught. "Boys, you have to learn to get along."

"No."

"Never." Both of their answers immediate, the principal shook her head.

"Why do you two hate each other so much?" She snapped, resting her elbows on her desk.

"Everything he does just...annoys me." Lance shrugged, glancing at Keith to get a rise.

"Alright, you listen here, Creswell. If you think-" The boys were interrupted by a repeated pounding. They turned back to the teacher, when did they turn towards each other? She had taken her glasses off and was slamming her head on her desk, each impact making the boys cringe.

"Mrs.-" A boy stuck his head into the office, freezing when he saw what was happening. "I can come back."

"No. Shiro, I'm sure you've heard of Keith Aviur and Lance Creswell. Boys, Shiro Makoto." The principal put her glasses back on. Keith blushed, having heard of Shiro and developed a small crush on him. Okay, so maybe it was a huge crush, but who's keeping track?

"Ah, yes. The two rivals." Shiro came in the room, taking the only empty seat between the two boys. Lance rolled his eyes, also having heard of the infamous Shiro Makoto, the teacher's pet. The guy got on his nerves, though not as much as Keith. "If you want, I could keep an eye on these two, make sure they don't cause you any more trouble."

Even in Keith's flustered state, he and Lance exchanged an angry glare. Someone to keep an eye on them? Lance sighed aloud, making sure the principal knew where he stood on the matter.

"Oh, would you, Shiro? Thank you so much." The principal smiled, clearly relieved beyond belief. "Please be good, boys."

The three boys stood, heading out to the cafeteria together. 

"You two can sit with my friends, if you want, so long as you behave." Shiro offered, breaking the uncomfortable silence the three boys had fallen into.

"Wait, does that mean if we don't sit by you, we can beat each other up?" Lance perked up, a smirk plastered on his face. Keith rolled his eyes, hitting Lance over the head with his algebra book, and like any pain he caused Lance, it felt damn good. "WHAT THE FUCK, AVIUR?! THAT HURT!"

"No shit, Sherlock. That was the point." Keith smirked, blushing when he saw Shiro hiding a smile behind his hand.

They made their way silently to a table in the middle of the cafeteria after grabbing their lunch. Six people were sitting there, deep in conversation. 

"Yo, guys!" Shiro sat down, gesturing towards Keith and Lance, who chose to sit as far from each other as possible.

"Ooh, the rivals!" A girl with long white hair and a strong accent looked at Lance and Keith with joy. "I'm Allura Kadyn, but my friends call me Princess."

"Yeah, thanks to me. You know, that used to just be our nickname. Just ours. Now all your friends use it and I feel cheated." A girl with purple hair leaned on Allura, pouting slightly. Allura nudged her, reminding her about the new guests. "Right, I'm Acxa. Hello, little bro, how are you?"

Keith just nodded, having a bite of his sandwich in his mouth and didn't want to be rude. His sister loved to mess with him, and she smirked at him. 

"Speaking of siblings, I'm Coran Kadyn, Princess is my sister." A man with a big orange mustache poked Allura's arm.

"We've never officially met." A man with long white hair sitting next to Lance smiled. He took Lance's hand in his, planting a kiss on the knuckles. "I'm Lotor Gannon, from detention."

Keith scowled, uncomfortable with the PDA. Though he took a second to make fun of Lance's flustered state.

"I'm Hunk Damario, and this is Pidge Gunderson." The boy swallowed some food, shoving more in his mouth. The person next to him didn't look up from their computer, instead offering a blind wave in Keith's general direction.

"So, what brings you two to our little table?" Allura asked, her eyes lighting up as she spoke. 

"Shiro's babysitting us." Lance swallowed, wiping crumbs off his face. Acxa looked at Keith with a smirk, nudging him slightly and causing him to blush.

"But I'll still see you both in detention, I presume?" Lotor asked, looking at Lance longingly.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world!" Lance laughed, oblivious to Lotor's thirsty stare. Keith rolled his eyes. How could someone be so oblivious? Pining was clearly too much work and definitely not worth it. He vowed to himself that he would never do it.


	4. Chapter 4

Friday, June 16th, 9:42 am

7 weeks, 5 days before

Keith tapped his pencil on his desk, bored out of his mind like usual. The detention supervisor was, again, asleep. The misbehaving nerd was reading a book. The suspended football players were watching sports on their phones. Keith groaned quietly and leaned back, resting his head on the desk behind him. 

Two giggles interrupted his serenity and he looked over at Lance and Lotor. They were looking at memes on Lance's phone, sitting unreasonably close. Keith rolled his eyes, watching Lotor scroll through Lance's phone, his arm wrapped around Lance and resting on the back of his chair. They laughed again, Lance leaning into Lotor, trying to support himself. Keith shook his head as Lotor blushed. Keith sighed, leaning forward on the desk. He began doodling on a corner of his history notebook, day dreaming about Shiro, like a usual detention.

Freezing, Keith felt something hit his head. He saw a crumpled ball of paper roll past his feet and heard stifled laughter.

Knowing the detention supervisor was still asleep, Lance crinkled another piece of used paper, exchanging an amused smirk with Lotor. He tossed it, hitting Keith on his head again. Keith turned around in his seat, glaring angrily at the pair. Lotor winked, handing another ball of paper to Lance, who hit Keith right on the forehead. 

Keith growled, aggressively flipping the two off and turning back to the front. A scowl on his face, he grimaced at the laughter from behind him.

 _One more_. Lance mouthed to Lotor, preparing to throw a large paper ball. Lotor nodded, hiding a laugh behind his hand. Lance winked and tossed.

At this point, the football players had turned off the sports and the nerd had closed her book, both choosing the live entertainment unfolding in front of them. 

As the paper hit Keith's head, the bell rang, allowing all detentionees to run out of detention to their next class. 

 Unfortunately, Keith and Lance both had algebra together next, with Shiro and Hunk.

As kids began making their way through the halls, Lance arrived in the algebra classroom. Keith grabbed Lance's collar, stopping him in the middle of the room.

"What the fuck is your problem, Creswell?!" Keith fumed, balling his fists around the cotton collar of Lance's jacket so he wouldn't punch him.

"Nothing, I'm perfect. Yet, you get off on harassing me, just to impress the teacher's pet." Lance smirked as Keith tightened his grip on Lance. "Yeah. I see it. Don't think I don't see you staring at him constantly."

Shiro stepped in the classroom, looking at the two boys with worry. "Guys..." He stepped between them, putting a hand on each of their chests. "Back off."

Keith groaned inwardly, feeling his face flush. He saw Lance's smirk grow, knowing he saw the blush. Keith rolled his eyes and nodded, backing up and heading to his seat.

Shiro looked at Lance, then went to his seat. Lance sat down with a wide smile and a lovely plan formulating in his mind, just knowing it would destroy Keith.

After the bell rang and the teacher began droning on about the relationship between A squared, B squared, and C squared, something like the Pythagorean theorem, Lance began scribbling words down on a piece of loose leaf. Crumpling many of the notes, he finally pulled off the perfect letter.

"Psst, Shiro." Lance whispered, offering up the neatly folded paper. Shiro raised a brow and took it, unfolding it carefully and reading. 

Lance had never seen a face turn as red as Shiro's did as he read and reread the letter, well, maybe Keith's. He hid a snicker behind his hand as Shiro looked back at Keith, who was writing notes on the lecture. Watching Shiro write a short reply, he tried to contain a smirk.

Shiro passed the letter back to Keith, who looked away from the board with a blush. Confused and flustered, Keith opened the paper.

Dear Shiro,

I could never properly formulate the words, but I am madly in love with you.

I have been for a long time. Would you go out with me?

 **(** Yes **)**                     No

 **I'll pick you up Monday at 6pm?**                  

                                                                               Keith Aviur

Keith reread the note and answer over and over again, trying to recall when and if he wrote this and making sure Shiro's reply was real. Shiro knew. _Shiro knew_.

Skipping notes, Keith just reread the note until the bell rang, the words implanted in his memory. He packed up his stuff and folded the letter in his pocket, making his way out of the classroom and to his locker. Opening it, he put away his algebra stuff and grabbed his lunchbox, keeping the note in his pocket. 

"So, you've got a crush on me, huh?"

 _Could this day get any worse?_ Keith thought as he closed his locker to be met with a smiling Shiro. Knowing his face was bright red, he nodded, not trusting his voice.

"I figured as much. I applaud your courage, I would have never told my crush personally. So, Monday works for a date then?" Shiro slung his arm around Keith's shoulders and Keith could only nod. "Perfect. I know the perfect place. It's a bit fancy, but I think it's perfect. I'll pick you up at 6 then. Come on, our's table's waiting."


	5. Chapter 5

Monday, June 19th, 11:44 am

7 weeks 2 days before

"It's a shame Shiro volunteered to be detention supervisor today. Pizza's his favorite school lunch." Hunk shook his head, shoving pizza in his mouth.

"And Lotor and Lance got detention again." Pidge rolled their eyes, typing away furiously on their computer.

"But did you see the prank they pulled?" Allura's eyes shined with mischief and amazement, and she leaned into Acxa as they shared a laugh. 

"The history teacher was so angry!" Coran laughed with Allura, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"So Keith, you're being unusually quiet today." Hunk stated, watching as Keith looked at his food.

"Huh?" Keith looked up at his new friends, clearly distracted.

"That's cause Keith's got a big date tonight." Pidge smirked. As the others looked at him with curious looks, Keith felt his face flush.

"With whom?" Coran asked, causing Pidge's smirk to grow. They exchanged a look with Acxa, who smirked back.

"The one and only Shiro Makoto." Acxa smirked at her brother, fueling his blush to grow.

"I knew this day would come. I could tell." Hunk turned to Pidge. "Didn't I tell you? I had a feeling."

"So, what are the details?" Coran asked, causing all the others to turn back to Keith expectantly. 

"Uh...Shiro's picking me up at 6." Keith mumbled. 

"Where are you guys going?" Hunk asked, his mouth full.

"I don't know. All Shiro said was that it was a bit fancy." Keith said with a shrug.

"What are you wearing then?" Coran asked.

"What do you mean?" Keith's eyebrows furrowed, showing his confusion. 

"Well, if Shiro mentioned fancy, it will be a dress up place." Coran stated matter-of-factly, stroking his mustache. 

"Dr...dress up?" Keith froze, realizing a big problem.

"Do you need help picking something out?" Allura asked, sharing a glance with Acxa. Keith nodded sheepishly. "Not a problem. I got you. Can I come over after school before 6?"

Keith nodded again. Silently, he went back to eating, a light pink still dusting his cheeks. He drowned out the voices of his friends, thinking about how he got into this wonderful mess. He was really happy but some things just didn't make sense.

Why would Shiro say yes? He wasn't even positive Shiro was gay or bi until he said yes. It's not like Keith wasn't glad or grateful, he was just curious. Keith wasn't anything special, just an introverted boy with a messy mullet and a hot temper. Keith shrugged to himself, figuring he could just ask him tonight. That was not Keith's biggest concern.

Going somewhere fancy. Shiro _did_ seem like an Olive Garden compared to McDonald's first date type of guy. But Keith? Keith was _definitely_ a McDonald's first date guy. That was also not Keith's biggest concern.

The note. This was the source of Keith's confusion. He was 99% sure he didn't write the note. The paper was wide rule where he had college rule. The paper was newer, whiter, firmer, where his was older, more worn (as any artist's is). And that 1% of Keith that thought he wrote the note was always convinced otherwise when he looked at the handwriting. _It was not his._ Keith was 100% sure of that. But who would write a note to Shiro about Keith's feelings? He had obviously narrowed it down to people who knew his crush. Therefore, his new lunch friends, his sister, and his rival.

Then, by process of elimination, he figured it was a prank done by Acxa or Lance, both feasible and angering.

"I wonder how Lotor and Lance are annoying Shiro right now." Allua pondered, snapping Keith out of his thoughts.

"Probably giving the poor man hell." Acxa laughed.

The friends stood up at the bell, knowing it allowed Shiro to escape the boys, more or less. Walking into the English classroom, Shiro waved half-heartily at Pidge and Keith, sitting down next to them.

"How was detention watch?" Pidge asked, looking at Shiro through their glasses. Shiro simply laid his head down on his desk, groaning. Lotor and Lance pranced in the room at that point, heading straight for the gang.

"That was the best detention ever!" Lotor laughed, poking Shiro's shoulder. He earned another groan in response.

"That's not...that shouldn't be correct." Pidge furrowed their brows, adjusting their glasses.

"Well, it was a lot of fun!" Right, babe?" Lotor turned to Lance, smiling lovingly.

"Babe?!?!" All three of the friends looked up at the pair, eyes and mouths wide. Keith felt a pang of jealousy as he watched Lance lace his fingers together with Lotor. He looked at Shiro, knowing his was just impatient for his date tonight. He wasn't jealous of Lance and he was definitely not jealous of Lotor. Holding Lance's hand, imagine that! He nearly gagged just thinking about it.


	6. Chapter 6

Monday, June 19th, 5:07 pm

7 weeks 2 days

"I have nothing to wear, Allura!" Keith stepped out of his closet, now empty, looking at all the clothes he owned laid out on the bed. Allura was looking through them, biting her lip in concentration. "This was a mistake. I should just tell Shiro I can't go."

He began reaching for his phone, his nerves begging him to cancel the date and never socialize again. Acxa shook her head, snatching Keith's phone and pocketing it. "Do you want help or not, little bro?"

Keith ran a hand through his now messy mullet before nodding sheepishly. He sat down on the hard wooden desk chair of his room, his leg shaking anxiously as he watched Allura contemplate.

Acxa shook her head, putting her hand on her little brother's leg, stopping the anxious tapping. "Stop worrying so much. Shiro wouldn't have agreed to a date if he didn't like you, at least a little."

"I know, but this is my first ever date with a guy. Back before I came out, Shiro was easy to talk to. Now I can barely look at him without turning red." Keith whimpered, putting his head in his hands. Acxa put her hand on his back, looking at Allura with an amused smile.

"Here, Keith, I've picked out three outfits adequate for tonight." Allura sat besides Acxa as Keith stood, looking at the options.

Option one was one of his only dress shirts, black, with one of his many pairs of black skinny jeans.

Option two was a white t-shirt, black leggings, and his simple black tuxedo jacket. 

Option three was his white dress shirt, black dress pants, and a black tuxedo vest.

Keith chose the first option, simply for comfort. As Keith took the clothes to the bathroom to change, Allura looked at Acxa with a smile.

"Told you he'd choose the most comfortable." Acxa shrugged as Allura rolled her eyes.

"Well, I still put out the other options anyways." Allura said, smiling at Acxa. They both turned as the door opened. "You look good, Keith."

Keith blushed, pushing his fingers through his hair. Acxa shook her head, standing and sitting Keith down in front of the mirror. Acxa took his brush off the counter and began brushing his hair, gently pulling the brush through the mild tangles of his mullet. Once his hair was silky smooth, she locked eyes with him through the mirror.

"Up or down?" Acxa asked, running her fingers through his hair. He shrugged, not trusting his voice. "Little bit of both, then. Got it."

She brushed his hair back, collecting it in her hand. She put the hair tie in by her hand, putting up his hair where it met his neck. She left some of his bangs down, but moved them out of his eyes. Keith nodded as she stepped back, admiring her work in the mirror.

"Thank you both." Keith said quietly. 

"Now don't go fucking up your hair when you're nervous or fidgety. I spent a whole five minutes on it." Acxa said, causing the three to share a laugh.

The doorbell rang and Keith visibly began to panic, his eyes growing wide, his face turning pale, and he searched the room for any escape he could find. He began shaking his head. "Nope. I can't. Go tell him I can't. I can't do this!"

Both girls rolled their eyes, each taking Keith's arms and practically dragging him into the foyer where Shiro stood. Keith nearly fainted at the sight of him. Shiro wore a grey dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with black dress pants and a black tuxedo vest. Shiro smiled at the two girls and the bright red boy.

"We'll leave you to it, then! Bye!" Acxa and Allura left out the door behind Shiro, watching to make sure Keith didn't fall over. The girls jumped into Acxa's car, pulling out of the driveway. "Do you think Keith will survive the night?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Allura laughed as they drove past the house again, just to make sure the two boys were okay. Keith and Shiro were getting in his car, all smiles, giggles, and blushes. "They'll be fine."

Lance shook his head as the doorbell rang, interrupting the music. He made his way to the door, grumbling the whole way. "The door's always open."

Acxa and Allura waved, laughing at his frown. "We know."

Lance stared at them angrily, before letting them in and hugging them both in turn. He led them inside, closing the door behind them. "What took you two so long?"

"We had to give Keith a makeover for his date tonight?" Lance stopped, feeling his heart clench. Sure, he was jealous, not of Keith or Shiro, but Lotor didn't take him on a first date. He just pushed him against a wall and made out with him, with he definitely wasn't complaining about. "Lance, are you okay?"

"Never better." Lance faked a smile, leading them to the living room, which had been cleared of furniture, rugs, and expensive objects. A disco ball spun slowly on the ceiling and DJ Pidge pumped some remixed tunes through the tall speakers with great bass. Hunk, Lotor, and Coran danced their way over towards them.

"Hey, guys!" Hunk smiled, shifting his weight to the beat.

"Later than usual, I see?" Coran raised a brow.

"Excuse me, but we are always fashionably late to these parties. I don't know what you're implying." Acxa rolled her eyes, smirking at Coran, who shook his head back with a smile.

"Let's dance." Allura offered her hand, which Acxa took, and led them all to the ~~middle of the living room~~ dance floor.

Lance nodded to DJ Pidge, who winked and transitioned into a slow song. Lance took Lotor's hands, placing one on his waist, putting his own hand on his shoulder. They turned in lazy circles, staring deep into each other's eyes. Lance smiled, leaning his head on Lotor's shoulder, breathing in Lotor's smells of lavender and coconut. Lotor's long hair tickled Lance's face, causing him to smile. The two men continued swaying as the song changed to a faster partner song and they heard the door close. Lance and Lotor danced in circles, smiling and laughing as people switched partners. Lance ended up in Allura's arms, Lotor with Acxa.

"Greetings, Lance!" Allura said over the music, putting one hand in his, the other on his shoulder. "Great party so far, though Acxa is angry you moved the alcohol."

Lance laughed, leading her around the floor. "Tell her second cabinet from the left, third shelf. In the very back."

The music continued and they switched partners, Lance laughed, his eyes closing in glee. Opening his eyes, his smile fell.

He was in the arms of none other than Keith fucking Aviur.


	7. Chapter 7

Monday, July 24th, 12:58 pm

2 weeks, 2 days

It had been 5 weeks since Keith and Lance had wound up in each other's arms at Lance's party. They hadn't fought, or even looked at each other since that Monday. It was worrying Shiro and Lotor.

"They must be bundling it up." Shiro said to Lotor, heading towards his final class of the day. They both had art next, without any of their gang. "It's unhealthy and eventually, will be worked out."

"No doubt through a bad fight." Lotor nodded, stepping into the classroom and smiling at the teacher. "Shiro, I'm getting kind of worried. Lance has been reserved with our friends, barely talking to them, and has been begging for...never mind."

"What? What has Lance been begging for?" Shiro looked at Lotor in confusion, who answered with a raised brow. "Oh. _Oh!_ Are you serious?!"

"Yeah. It's getting out of hand and I'm running out of reasons we're not ready yet." Lotor sighed, sitting down next to Shiro. "We need them to resolve this conflict. I can't stand Lance's constant looks of...hunger."

Shiro gave him an apologetic look as the bell rang, opening his sketchbook as the teacher started the class.

"He's absolutely disgusting, Acxa!" Keith was still not over it, always complaining about the ruined party. "Stop bringing it up, please."

Acxa shook her head. "Avoiding this will only make it worse. Look, if you keep this anger bottled up, you'll kill someone, and my bet is you'll kill Lance."

"Gladly." Keith mumbled, causing Acxa to hit him lightly. "It just...he ruined my night, Acxa. I was having a wonderful time on my date and then, _that_ happened."

"You need to let it go. Write an angsty poem or hit a punching bag or  _something_." Acxa put her hand on his shoulder, smiling gently. He shrugged, nodding in agreement.

"I'll go to the gym on Thursday after classes. That's when they have kick box classes." Keith breathed out, already unable to wait for Thursday. "God, Mondays are the  _worst_."

Acxa laughed, in full agreement with him. "Monday's almost over. Next is Tuesday."

Keith groaned, causing Acxa to laugh again. Their free period teacher shushed them, and they giggled quietly, skipping studying like usual.

Lance rubbed his eyes, trying to keep awake during his required language class. He was already fluent in Spanish, so he was taking the romantic language, French, to get the college credits. The problem was, it was so  _boring_.

"Par conséquent. La France est connue comme une nation d'amour. Est-ce que quelqu'un qui écoutait pouvait le résumer pour ceux qui ne l'étaient pas?" The teacher glanced around the room for volunteers. "Monsieur Lance, qu'est-ce que tu as à dire?"

Lance simply shrugged, not in the mood to butcher some French bullshitted answer. "Baguettes."

The class laughed, even the teacher chuckled, but Lance looked back out the window, a frown on his face. Ever since the party, he felt...violated, disgusted. It actually wasn't just Keith somehow. Lance's abuela had passed on a night after the party. Granted, she wasn't always the most supportive of his bisexual self, but he still loved her. And then, she was gone. He didn't even get to say goodbye.

The bell rang, pulling him from his thoughts and he packed up, heading for his locker. Lotor fell in step next to him, but he didn't have the strength to lift his head to look at him.

"Bad day, Lance?" Lotor asked gently. Lance nodded, not looking up from the floor. They reached his locker and Lance grabbed his book bag. Lotor smiled, reaching into his pocket. "I know what will make you feel better."

Lance looked up as Lotor pulled out Lance's favorite kind of mints, the ones his abuela always gave him when he visited her. His face lit up like a kid on Christmas and he smiled at Lotor. He took it and began removing the wrapping. "Thank you."

Lotor nodded, watching as Lance popped the mint in his mouth and closed his eyes in joy, a smile lighting up his face. Lotor stepped closer, taking Lance's hands and leaning down. He closed his eyes, planting a light kiss on Lance's lips. "Minty."

They giggled, walking hand in hand out of the building. Lance looked away from Lotor. "Look, man, uh...I'm sorry about my...urges lately. I mean...I just...I'm not good at dealing with emotions...you know?"

Lotor nodded, staying silent. He looked at Lance with a small smile. "I know. Really, it's fine. I understand."

"I just...with the...death...of my abuela, I feel lost. And then the whole Keith thing," Lance scowled, tightening his grip on Lotor's hand. "I want to get that out of my head. Wash it away. Replace the memory, you know?"

"You have to let that go. That was five week's ago, for fuck's sake!" Lotor looked at Lance, exasperated. "It was a partner song, where you switch partners. Everyone's going to end up with someone they don't like sometime through the song. Hell, once I ended up with a teacher. They were gonna bust up the party, then next thing we knew, I'm dancing them across the floor! It was so awkward and I got a week of detention. Man, class with him was weird after that."

Lance had to stop walking to suppress his laughter. He faked a positive smile. "You're right. Who cares? Sorry for being such a dick about it."

Lotor threw his arm around him, smiling and continued talking. Lance drowned him out, nodding occasionally. He tried, he really tried to let it go, shake it off, tell himself it was no big deal. But he couldn't. Lance couldn't get Keith or the ruined party out of his head. And a plan was forming in his head, allowing him to smile for real.


	8. Chapter 8

Thursday, July 27th, 2:08 pm

1 week 6 days before

Lance had put his plan in action the minute he got home, texting Shiro to apologize for the whole grudge against Keith thing, saying that he was just feeling down and the death of his abuela didn't help. Then, he continued his week, playing it off as if he was normal, flirting and pranking as usual.

As Thursday rolled around, he avoided Keith as best he could, knowing they shared their last class on Thursday without any of the gang. He knew from Acxa that Keith was still angry and so was Lance. Therefore, he was going to clear the air, release the tension once and for all.

It was now the final class of the day and the teacher had put Keith and Lance next to each other in the seating chart. Lance walked into the classroom and sat down besides Keith, who got there a few minutes prior. They were silent, avoiding eye contact at all times. The class started and Lance smirked, knowing _exactly_ what to do to piss Keith off.

Lance put his legs up on the arm of his one sided desk with a sigh. Lance began humming just loud enough for Keith to hear, knowing Keith loved his peace and quiet. Keith visibly froze, clearly already angry. Lance smirked, continuing to hum carelessly.

"Please stop, Creswell." Keith asked politely, pushing the words through clenched teeth.

"Nah." Lance shrugged, smiling and humming gently. Keith shook his head, attempting to ignore ~~the bastard~~ Lance, who just kept humming. Keith gave up on solving equations and stared exasperated at Lance, who winked with a smirk. "Make me, Aviur."

Keith knew Lance just wanted to get a rise out of him. He knew the right thing to do was to turn around in his seat, ignore him, and calm down. He knew he was going to the gym to work off this tension and anger and he could wait a little over an hour.

He just didn't want to.

Keith shot out of his seat, grabbing Lance's collar and lifting him on to his feet. "Gladly."

Keith's fist collided with Lance's face, over and over until Lance caught up, catching Keith's fist in his hand. Lance kneed Keith in the gut, earning a satisfying groan. He wiped below his nose, his hand coming back red. Lance pounced on Keith as he doubled over, sending both of them to the floor. He began returning the punches, both boys' noses gushing now. Keith flipped them over, grabbing Lance's collar and slamming Lance's head against the carpeted ground of the classroom.

"You're such a fucking dick, Creswell!" Keith growled, landing a punch to Lance's eye. "You ruin everything!"

"Oh, like your oh-so-perfect date? You think I care?" Lance managed to roll out from under Keith to punch him to the ground and kick his gut. "You chose to come to my party! _You_ ruined my party!"

"Had I known it was your party, I never would have come! Besides, it was terrible!" Keith kneed Lance in the groin, causing him to fall to the ground. "I bet your _grandma_ hosts better parties!"

Lance froze, fury and rage turning his vision red and blurry. Keith couldn't and wouldn't have known his abuela was dead, but it really hit a nerve in Lance. He snarled, throwing his fists randomly and rapidly in the general direction of Keith. "How dare you?! How _fucking_ dare you?!"

Teachers barely pulled the boys apart before Lance shoved free and charged at Keith again, baring his teeth as he hit Keith over and over again. It took six teachers to pull Lance off of Keith and two to hold Keith up. Keith sneered, looking up at Lance. It knocked the sneer off his face, making him feel like he was punched in the gut again.

Warm, salty tears dripped down Lance's cheeks as he stared Keith down. Keith had never seen the amount of anger Lance's eyes held before. He had also never seen Lance cry.

No one had. Not even Lotor.

 The two boys were taken to two different health rooms for their safety. Lotor met Lance in there, holding his hands gently as the teachers who escorted him left. Lotor surveyed the damage, feeling concern for his boyfriend.

Both of Lance's eyes had began to turn black and blue, parts turning an ugly shade of yellow, red, and green. His lips had cracked and bled gently. His nose was no doubt broken as blood flowed freely through it. He probably had a broken rib or two and he was bruised  _everywhere_. The most concerning thing, the thing really pulling at Lotor's heart, was that Lance was crying, tears flowing down his bruised and bloody cheeks. Lotor carefully and gently pulled Lance towards him, wrapping his arms around him delicately, resting his chin on the top of Lance's head. They stayed there for a few minutes as Lance cried into Lotor's shirt, sniffling and gasping for air. He began calming down and Lotor led him to the bed, sitting him down gently. "What happened, Lance? The whole story."

"I was just trying to get rid of my anger. We attacked each other, a few bants included. Then...then he told me that my grandma throws better parties than me. I know he didn't know about my abuela passing, but I just got  _so_ angry." Lance stopped to choke out a sob, closing his eyes painfully. "I'm sorry, but not for whatever I did to Aviur. He had it coming."

Lotor sighed, shaking his head. "He didn't, but I understand. Just...just avoid him from now on. These petty fights are actually dangerous."

Lance nodded, defeated.

"Did I say something wrong? Creswell never...cries." Keith held an ice pack against his eyes, which were a little worse than Lance's.

"Keith, I...I wasn't going to tell you because it doesn't concern you, but...now it does. Lance's grandmother passed away a day after the party." Shiro held Keith's free hand, stroking it gently. Keith closed his eyes.

"I almost feel bad now." He whispered, shaking his head slightly. "God, Shiro, I was trying so hard not to let him get to me. I was going to go to the gym  _tonight_ , let off steam. But no, he had to be so fucking annoying!"

"You gotta let it go, Keith." Shiro warned.

"Oh, no, I'm good. Never better, really. Stress is gone, no more tension. Really, fighting Lance or a punching bag takes the edge off the world." Keith shrugged. Shiro raised a brow. "Seriously, Shiro, I'm fine."


	9. Chapter 9

Tuesday, August 1st, 5:47 pm

1 week 1 day before

"What are we going to do about them?" Lotor asked, sipping his pumpkin spice latte. Shiro shrugged, choosing a booth next to the window. They both sat down, staying silent as Shiro looked out the window.

"Honestly, I don't know." Shiro sighed, drinking his black coffee. "They hate each other too much for us to help them."

"There  _has_ to be something we can do. This isn't healthy for them, or for us." Lotor countered, setting his latte on the table. He put his head in his hands, thinking. "What if we got them drunk?"

"What?!"

"No, no, hear me out. We both ask them out on a date to a bar. They will be angry to see each other, prompting them to drink. The more they drink, the more they'll loosen up. We can determine why they hate each other, resolve it while they're still comfortable and boom! All's resolved!" Lotor smirked, taking another sip. Shiro opened his mouth to argue, then closed it.

"That...actually could work." Shiro looked shocked, his hands frozen around his warm drink.

"Well, of course it could! I'm not an idiot, Shiro." Lotor smirked as Shiro raised a brow. "When should we do this then?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no school on Wednesday, right?" Shiro asked and Lotor nodded. "Then Tuesday night. We wouldn't have to go to school hungover then."

"Brilliant! You ask Keith out tomorrow and I'll ask Lance Friday, just so they don't think anything's amiss." Lotor smirked, finishing off his latte. Shiro smiled, laughing slightly. Lotor looked at him curiously.

"We always get so much done on these Tuesday study nights, except studying." They shared a laugh, moving on to talking about anything but school.

The next day, Keith got a text from Shiro inviting him to lunch off campus today. They went to a local family restaurant with good food and fast service and ordered.

"So, no school Wednesday, huh?" Shiro asked, nibbling on the table's free bread. Keith nodded. "Wanna do something Tuesday night?"

"Like another date?" Keith asked timidly. Shiro nodded gleefully. "Sure. Did you have something in mind?"

"I know a place. A litle bar just down the street." Shiro smiled gently, thanking the waitress as the food arrived. However, Keith didn't smile. He wasn't sure he was ready to show Shiro his drunk side. He got pretty...rampant and out of control when intoxicated, both in want for fighting and passion.

"You okay, Keith?" Shiro asked. Keith nodded with a fake smile, grabbing his fork and eating. Both boys ate in silence, both deep in thought.

As Friday rolled around, Keith and Lance hadn't seen each other at all since their latest fight, a miracle to their concerned boyfriends. Lotor met Lance by his locker after the final bell, smirking slightly.

"How about a true first date? Tuesday, 7, that bar near your house." Lotor asked, leaning on the lockers. Lance smiled, nodding, overjoyed to  _finally_ have his first date with Lotor.

"Sounds good to me!" Lance's smile lit up his face and Lotor almost felt bad, texting Shiro when he got home.

Lotor: 4:28 pm _We're a go._


	10. Chapter 10

Tuesday, August 8th

Hours before

Keith sat at the bar. listening to Shiro going on about some funny story, wondering whether he should drink or not. Shiro was holding his Martini, sipping every once and a while.

"Do you want something else besides that Grasshopper? Something stronger?" Shiro asked, raising a brow. Keith shrugged, sipping his weak cocktail.

"Maybe in a bit. I've got to get warmed up though." Keith joked, watching Shiro laugh with joy.

"Fair enough." Shiro looked to the door as the bell dinged. "Is that Lotor?"

Keith's head whipped around, finding Lotor and Lance walking in. He groaned, rolling his eyes. "What are they doing here?"

"Hey guys! What a coincidence! How are you two?"Lotor asked, gripping Lance's hand tightly and basically dragging him towards Shiro and Keith.

"Shiro, I'm going to need that strong drink now." Keith muttered, shaking his head and looking at his weak cocktail. Shiro smiled, nodding to the bartender. He brought a drink towards Keith, who thanked him profusely. He chugged the Old Fashioned, causing the other three boys and the bartender to stare at him in a mix of amazement and fear.

"What? Lance annoys me." Keith shrugged. The bartender refilled his glass, watching him warily. Lotor sat a seat away from Keith, forcing Lance to take the seat between Lotor and Keith against his wishes. Lance ordered a strong Gin and Tonic, the rivals drinking vigorously.

"Slow down, you two. We have all night to drink." Lotor laughed, stopping when both boys stared at him with raised brows.

The night was long and awkward, Lance and Keith plowing through three glasses while Shiro and Lotor still working on their first. As the boys started on their fourth drink, they began to loosen up, getting more comfortable with their boyfriends and, surprisingly, with each other.

"No, but did you see those jocks' faces when we pantsed them?" Lance howled with laughter, the other three chuckling heartily as they wiped tears of joy from their eyes. Lance continued laughing, leaning into Keith with closed eyes. Both boyfriends froze, holding their breath, expecting anger. Keith just continued smiling, pushing Lance away playfully. As Shiro told them a funny story of his freshman year of college, Lotor watched Lance turn his body towards Shiro, his legs up against Keith's. Keith went for his drink, subtly leaning against Lance's legs to stay sitting upright.

"Excuse me. I need to use the restroom." Lotor hopped off the stool, motioning at Shiro to follow.

"Y-yeah, so do I, actually. Don't fall over." Shiro followed into the men's room, leaving behind the two touchy, drunk twenty-two-year-olds.

"Odd." Keith raised a brow, sipping the last of his fourth drink.

"Like your mullet." Lance jabbed, reaching his hand towards Keith's neck, running his fingers through the surprisingly soft hair. "Your stupid, soft mullet."

"What do we do now? This was not in the plan!" Shiro whispered, both men looking through the porthole of the men's bathroom door. Lotor shrugged.

"We could always just let nature run its course." Lotor offered.

"And let them fuck?! Cause the way they're eyeing each other, that's gonna happen!" Shiro whipped to Lotor, eyes wide. Lotor shrugged again.

"What else are we suppose to do? Do you want to relieve tension or not?" Lotor asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Let's just leave, then. Let them work stuff out." Lotor leaned back, looking away from the window to look at Shiro. "Look, this could work. Besides, it will be hilarious when they get sobered up."

Shiro sighed, not sure if he liked the idea still. "Fine."

The two boyfriends exited the restroom, walking right past the two boys and out the door. Lotor and Shiro exchanged one final worried glance before ordering an Uber and riding home.

Lance's fingers were still in Keith's mullet, playing with it gently. Keith's hand rested relatively high on Lance's thigh. Both boys just stared into each other's eyes, remaining silent.

"We've been acting pretty immature lately, haven't we?" Keith smirked, moving his hand a bit closer to Lance's hips.

"Pretty brave words for a man with his hand near my dick." Lance joked, his words slurred as he finished off his fourth drink. Keith shook his head, moving his hand away from Lance. "Wait, no. I was only joking."

"That's your problem. You joke too much." Keith said angrily. Lance took his fingers away from Keith's hair, frowning.

"And you don't joke enough." Lance countered, leaning towards Keith slightly. "You're always so tense. You gotta loosen up."

Keith raised a brow, snarling slightly. "I'll show you loose."

With that, Keith grabbed Lance's collar, pulling Lance's lips against his own. Lance closed his eyes, tangling his fingers in Keith's mullet again. Keith bit Lance's lower lip, causing Lance to gasp. Keith plunged his tongue into Lance's mouth. Lance recovered from his shock and their tongues met, battling to pull each other closer. Lance pulled Keith off the stools, still kissing him. They reluctantly broke apart so Lance could throw a twenty on the bar. Both boys headed out of the bar, silently enamored with each other. Lance led Keith to his rented home just down the street, both eye fucking each other on the way there. Lance fumbled around with the hose key, letting them in and closing the door behind him.

As the door clicked closed, Keith was on him, pushing him against it, shoving his lips against Lance's. Lance groaned quietly, causing an echo between their mouths. He dropped his keys, running his hands through Keith's hair, pulling it slightly. Keith mumbled incoherently, pushing Lance against the door harder and slowly grinding his hips against Lance's. Lance closed his eyes, holding on to Keith's hair and jacket as they made out.

Lance pushed Keith back, pulling him to the bedroom as their lips met again in a crazed frenzy. Lance pushed Keith down on the bed, crawling towards him and kissing him. He laid on top of him, beginning to grind their hips together. Keith broke apart, pushing Lance back slightly.

"Oh, no, I'm topping. You're bottoming." Keith slurred out, flipping them so Keith laid on top of Lance.

"Oh really?" Lance smirked, kissing down Keith's jaw, causing Keith to close his eyes in pleasure.

"Y-Yeah." Keith stuttered between moans.

"Make me, Aviur." Lance whispered, kissing Keith's ear lightly.

"Oh, I will, Creswell." Keith smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I'm Tiara Mueller, the author, clearly. I am just writing a warning for the next chapter. Clearly this prior chapter is leading into something...intimate...so a warning. If you are uncomfortable with smut, please skip to the next chapter. You won't miss anything important. Thank you all! I hope you are all enjoying this story!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! In case you ignored the AN prior, this chapter contains smut. If this bothers you, skip it. You won't miss any crucial plot points. Thank you all for reading and enjoy!

Tuesday, August 1st, 9:23 pm

Flipping the pair over so he was on top, Lance began pulling Keith's jacket off, their lips connected and eyes closed. He threw it on the ground away from the bed, pulling his arms through the sleeves of his jacket as Keith pushed it off him. Lance put his hands up Keith's shirt, running them up and down his toned chest as he kissed down Keith's jaw. They broke apart, Lance pulling Keith's shirt over his head, both staring into each other's eyes silently as Lance threw Keith's shirt towards the wall. Keith pulled Lance's shirt over his head as Lance kissed down Keith's neck. Keith closed his eyes, gripping Lance's hair gently as his lips grazed down Keith's chest. Lance stopped at his waist, unbuttoning Keith's pants. Staring into each other's eyes, Lance pulled Keith's leggings off, throwing them in the direction of their discarded clothes. A groan escaped Keith's lips as Lance's lips trailed over Keith's dick, pulling his boxers off as Keith began shakily unbuttoning Lance's jeans. He managed to pull Lance's pants and boxers off as Lance began steadily stroking up and down Keith's hardening dick. Holding eye contact with Keith, Lance began gently and painstakingly slowly sucking on his dick, listening to Keith groan quietly. He sped up a bit when Keith's fingers found his hair, gripping tightly. Keith closed his eyes, biting his lip as Lance sped up again, leaning his head against the wall behind him as he breathed out unevenly. 

"Are you ready, Aviur?" Lance asked, staring at Keith. Keith nodded, opening his eyes to look at Lance.

"You can call me Keith, we've reached that point." Keith said, watching Lance smirk as he grabbed a bottle of lube from the dresser next to the bed. He popped open the cap, taking his time to spread it on his dick. Keith shook his head, growing impatient as Lance smirked. "Hurry up, Lance."

"If you say so." Keith breathed in sharply as Lance kissed him forcefully, positioning himself and lifting Keith's legs up. Keith's eyes closed and he wrapped his arms around Lance's shoulders as Lance swiftly entered him, crying out softly. Lance stayed still, letting him adjust as their lips connected over and over, battling for pleasure. Keith opened his eyes as Lance began to move inside him, letting out airy groans as Lance kissed down Keith's neck. Lance quickened his pace, pumping into Keith steadily. Keith bit his lip again, gripping Lance's hair and shoulders tightly as he let out a moan. Lance's lips found Keith's and they continued their lustful dance. Lance weaved his fingers through Keith's hair, pulling it back as he grunted gently. Keith winced, gripping Lance's shoulders tightly as he arched his back, pressing his body closer to Lance's as they slammed together violently. Feeling he was close, Lance kissed down Keith's jaw, moving down his neck. Lance moaned, biting down on Keith's neck as he came.

"What the hell was that for, Lance?!" Keith asked, pushing Lance back a bit. Keith felt his neck where Lance bit, feeling pain as he put pressure on it.

"I honestly don't know." Lance smiled, his words slurred together. Keith shook his head, rolling his eyes at his drunk counterpart. Lance smirked, demanding, "Turn over." 

Keith raised a brow and Lance shook his head, pushing Keith so he lay on his chest. Lance pushed into Keith swiftly, causing Keith to cry out loudly. He put his hands on Keith's hips, pulling him towards, then pushing him away, grunting as he shoved in and out of Keith. Gripping the sheets so tight his knuckles turned white, Keith groaned loudly, eyes closed. Lance leaned over, whispering slurred dirty thoughts in Keith's ears, savoring Keith's ability to blush as he fucked him harder. Lance kissed the back of Keith's neck, running his fingers through his messy hair. As Lance sped up, both boys felt close, Keith mumbling swear words and moans. Lance's lips grazed Keith's ear. "Say my name."

"Lance." Keith murmured, his eyes closed in pleasure. Lance grunted, pulling Keith's hair back. Keith's head shot up, and he cried out. Holding Keith's jaw up, Lance kissed Keith's cheek. 

"Louder."

"Lance!"

"Louder!"

"LANCE!" Both boys came together, Lance releasing Keith's hair and kissing Keith's shoulder blades. Keith growled slightly as he managed to twist them over so he lay above Lance. Lance's shocked expression changed to a smirk. Keith smiled, kissing Lance aggressively, wrapping his arms around Lance's neck. Keith kissed down Lance's jaw, feeling Lance shiver beneath him. With a smirk, Keith moved his lips across Lance's neck, watching as Lance closed his eyes in pleasure. Keith bit down on Lance's neck, savoring Lance's sound of shock. "You started it."

Lance grabbed Keith's hair, pulling Keith towards him, kissing Keith passionately. He brought Keith's ear to his lips, whispering, "Fuck me, Keith."

Keith smiled, closing his eyes as their lips met again. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's shoulders, pulling their bodies closer together. Putting his legs around Keith's waist, Lance closed his eyes as Keith began to enter him frustratingly slowly. Keith smirked as Lance bit his lip and whimpered quietly. Keith pushed his lips against Lance's, silencing his whines as he continued pushing into him unhurriedly. Lance moaned, sending vibrations between their mouths. Finally, Keith was deep in Lance, causing Lance to cry out softly. Keith kissed Lance's jaw, neck, ear, cheeks, lips, anywhere he could find as he began rhythmically pumping in and out, staying slow and steady. Lance kept his arms wrapped around Keith, arching his back as Keith took his time to enter all the way into Lance before slowly pulling out. Lance pulled Keith closer to him, whispering, "Faster."

Keith raised a brow, slowing down. "Beg."

With a shocked expression, Lance whimpered as Keith nearly stopped deep inside him. "Please...faster please."

Keith's pace changed rapidly and he aggressively began shoving in and out of Lance. Lance cried out at the change of speed and his lips found Keith's, kissing him intensely. Yelling out in pleasure, Lance buried his face into Keith's neck, Keith's hair tickling Lance's face. As Keith sped in and out of Lance, he grabbed Lance's dick, beginning to rub it up and down. Keith vigorously fucked Lance, savoring his moans and loud cries. Keith shoved his lips against Lance's, opening his mouth so their tongues met in their lustful battle. Lance felt himself growing close as Keith stroked his dick, Keith not far behind. Their lips still locked, Lance came, pulling Keith against him as he did. Lance began to move his hips under Keith, causing Keith to groan with Lance. Lance pulled on Keith's hair again, making Keith cry out softly. Lance came for a second time with Keith, both panting as Keith stopped moving deep inside Lance. Keith collapsed besides Lance, their lips still connected. Breaking apart, they stared into each other's eyes until they fell into a peaceful sleep besides one another.


	12. Chapter 12

Wednesday, August 9th, 10:37 am

His fingers tangled in hair. His arm wrapped around another. His hand in someone else's. Lance felt the naked figure cuddle closer and he smiled lightly. He took a deep breath, inhaling the artsy smells of the man, paint and chalk and stuff like that. It reminded Lance of Keith, but it couldn't be. They hated each other. The long hair looked black in the darkness, but so did everything else.

Lance stretched, feeling the slightly tangled hair. Lotor would never let it get tangled, even after intense...activities. Lotor conditioned his hair more than most girls. Lance only knew one other guy who would let his hair grow out and let it get as tangled.

"Keith?" Lance mumbled, his voice deep from sleep. He was hoping he was wrong so he could continue cuddling with him. He felt the man tense and turn towards him slowly. Lance opened his eyes, praying it wasn't Keith.

It was Keith fucking Aviur.

Dread and anger shot through him and next thing he knew, he was flailing after Keith shoved him off the bed. He screeched, falling to the floor in a tangle of blankets, the look of shock mirrored of both boys' faces.

"What the fuck, Creswell?!" Lance heard sheets rustling and he covered himself up in the clothes he could find.

"Don't ask me! I don't remember!" He looked at Keith, as a sudden pain shot through his head. He couldn't tell if it was from a hangover or the rude awakening by Keith. "Do you remember anything from last night?"

Lance watched Keith open then close his mouth, furrowing his brows. "No."

Lance stood, covering his privates with his clothes. He watched Keith look away and blushed. He heard Keith say, "Dude, put your clothes  _on_."

He nodded, pulling on his boxers and jeans, buckling his belt around his waist. He began looking for his shirt. "Alright, alright, I'm clothed."

Lance dug around in the closet, then froze, suddenly remembering.

"What?" Keith asked, and Lance could hear concern in his voice.

"What time is it?" Lance turned to look at Keith, who looked at his phone.

"10:49."

"Shit!" Lance desperately looked around for his shirt, then found it and pulled it on.

"What?" Keith asked, clearly more concerned.

"Lotor's coming over in less than 15 minutes! The room's a mess!" Lance began grabbing his clothes from the floor. He threw some of his clean clothes at Keith, both boys in no mood to search for Keith's clothes. 

"Lance." Lance froze, having never Keith actually say his name. "We just...we cheated on our boyfriends."

Lance looked at Keith with an expression of dread that mirrored Keith's. He looked away, folding the clothes in his hands slowly. "Yeah, we did."

Then, the doorbell rang and Lotor's voice echoed through the foyer.


	13. Chapter 13

Wednesday, August 9th, 10:58 am

"Wake up, Lance!" Lotor yelled, going into the kitchen and grabbing the bottle of Advil. He heard rustling and Lance came from the hallway, flustered. "You alright, Lance?"

"Never better!" Lance smiled, wincing and grabbing his head. "Nope. I lied. I have a massive hangover. What exactly happened last night?"

Lotor smirked, handing Lance the pill and a glass of water. "You don't remember?"

Lance swallowed the pill, drinking the rest of the water. "No clue."

"What do you remember?" Lotor asked, his eyes flickering from Lance as something moved down the hall. He smirked, getting another Advil and glass of water as Lance sat down at the island.

"Uh...we met at a bar, that bar down the street, for a date. Keith and Shiro were there, so I drank. That's all I got." Lance recalled.

"I see. Have you put the pieces together yet then?" Lotor smiled, watching the shadow down the hall approach cautiously. "Good morning, Keith. Sleep well?"

Lance and Keith both froze, their faces turning red. How did Lotor know? They exchanged a flustered glance. "Uh...fine, I guess."

"Here. Take some Advil before you go. Hangovers can be ghastly." Lotor was full-on beaming at this point, clearly finding the whole situation amusing. Keith swallowed the pill, thanking Lotor quietly and heading towards the front door. "Oh, and Keith? Nice clothes."

Both Lance and Keith turned an even darker shade of red, and Keith scurried out of the door, clearly in the mood to escape the awkwardness. Lotor turned back to Lance.

"So, you don't remember-"

"No." Lance shook his head. "I don't remember...fucking Keith."

Lotor stayed silent, hiding his surprise at Lance using Keith's first name. Last night must have been pretty intimate. He determined that Lance's memory wasn't completely gone, just MIA. Any words or events could trigger a memory resurface and Lotor would not miss that. "Fair enough."

As the pair sat in silence, Lotor texted Shiro.

Lotor: 11:01 am  _Lance doesn't remember last night_

Lotor watched Lance as he rubbed his temples, thinking of trigger words he should avoid for at least today.

Shiro: 11:02 am  _Neither does Keith. He just came over. He's blushing and wearing Lance's clothes. Do you know exactly what happened last night?_

Still watching Lance, Lotor sighed.

Lotor: 11:02 am  _I have some theories, most of which involve them fucking_

"Feeling any better, Lance?" Lotor asked, standing next to him. Lance froze, eyes widening. He pushed past Lotor, running to the bathroom and hurling. Lotor winced, feeling bad for the boy. His phone buzzed and he checked Shiro's text.

Shiro: 11:03 am  _Do you know if they fucked? Keith won't tell me_

Lotor: 11:04 am  _I'm pretty sure they did_

Lotor heard Lance flush, then washed his hands.

Shiro: 11:04 am  _Shit, are you serious?_

Lotor: 11:05 am  _Unless you can explain why they had an impromptu sleepover and Keith decided to borrow Lance's clothes_

Shiro: 11:05 am  _Fuck, you're right. What do we do now?_

Lotor watched Lance walk out of the bathroom, only to run right back in again.

Lotor: 11:06 am  _Meet me at the coffee shop in an hour_

Lotor made Lance a smoothie, filled with fresh fruit and chocolate and mint, Lance's favorite beverage of choice. "Lance? Feeling alright?"

A groan answered him.

"I made you a smoothie. Do you want me to put it in the fridge for later?" Lotor asked, looking to the bathroom.

"Yeah."

Lotor covered the glass, finding a spot on the fridge's crowded shelves. "I'm going out. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah."

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"I'll see you later. Call me if you need anything, okay?" Lotor grabbed his keys and phone, walking to the front door.

"Okay."

Lotor smiled sadly, heading out the door. He drove to the coffee shop, ordering the biggest pumpkin spice latte he could. It was one of those kind of problems.

"Hey." Shiro appeared next to him, ordering a large black coffee.

"Hey. How's Keith?" Lotor asked, paying for both drinks.

"Acxa and Allura are taking care of him. He got sick before I left." Shiro sighed, sitting down and sipping his coffee. "I can't believe they fucked. I thought they hated each other!"

"Well, with any amount of hate comes tension, in this case, apparently, sexual. I think that's why Lance had those urges after the party." Lotor shrugged. "I think they like-like each other, even if they don't know it."

Shiro remained quiet, staring down at the table. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I do." Lotor sighed. "You know how much I like Lance and I know how much you like Keith, but we should probably let them explore their feelings for each other."

"You mean...break up with them?" Shiro asked, looking up with wide eyes.

"Not right away! We have to make sure they're all right first. And we'll probably have to wait until they remember last night." Lotor took a sip, watching as Shiro's eyes widened. "What?"

"They're going to remember?" Shiro asked with dread.

"Yeah. They only had four drinks each. You know how much they  _can_ handle. I've had way more and remembered, unfortunately." Lotor shivered, recalling memories now.

"What will happen when they remember?" Shiro asked, concerned.

"Well, first, they'll both lose their shit. They won't even be able to look at each other without freaking out. Even hearing each other's names will fuck 'em up." Lotor watched as Shiro's face grew more and more worried. "Then, they will probably go through the denial phase. They will feel...feelings towards each other, uncomfortable lovey-dovey feelings. They won't understand and they'll shove them away, denying them. That's where we come in."

"We do?" Shiro raised a brow.

"Yes. They will try and hide the feelings, replace them with...memories...with us. We must decide whether we break it off, saving everyone the pain, or stay with them, attempt to subdue those feelings to each other, delay the inevitable." Lotor waited, watching Shiro think it through.

"I get the feeling you're saying break up with them now or later." Shiro sighed.

"I am." Lotor stated bluntly.

Shiro nodded. "I suppose that's fair."

"Okay. So when?" Lotor asked.

"Stay with them until they remember." Shiro said, sipping his coffee. "Then, I presume they will begin to talk about each other and we will leave them then, breaking their hearts in two."

"Perfect!" Lotor smiled, frowning again as Shiro shook his head. "What?"

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do? This will crush them!" Shiro leaned in, doubt written all over his face.

"You think I don't know it will crush them? Shiro, it will crush me! You know how much I like Lance! But do you want them to be happy or not? This is now the solution." Lotor snapped, sighing as he calmed himself. Shocked, Shiro stayed quiet, mulling it over. "And, besides, they look cute together, if I do say so myself."

They shared a smile, all decided.


	14. Chapter 14

Wednesday, August 16th, 5:13 pm

A week had past and the two boys had yet to remember their intimate night.

Lance walked hand in hand with Lotor, shopping in the mall. They went into a small clothing boutique, lined with jackets and jeans. As Lance browsed the racks, Lotor made small talk.

"So, how's school been for you?"

Lance looked up, a brow raised. "Fine, I guess. Harder than expected, if I'm honest."

"Right, right. And have you and Keith fought lately?" Lotor asked, suddenly very interested in a sequined hat on a shelf next to him. Lance stared at him, feeling his face and neck grow warm.

"No, o-of course not." Lance went between the next two racks, trying to hide his blush. Lotor watched him, trying to determine if he knew or remembered.

"Have you...have you remembered?" Lotor asked timidly. Lance's head whipped around to look at Lotor.

"No, thank god." Lance walked towards him, clearly angry. "I hope I never remember."

"Sorry." Lotor looked away sheepishly. Lance's eyes softened, and he sighed.

"No, no, I'm sorry. I just want to forget it, okay?" Lotor nodded and Lance smiled, going back to browsing the clothes. Lotor pulled out his phone.

Lotor: 5:16 pm  _Nothing yet_

Lance sighed, pulling Lotor from the store with a smirk. "Where to?"

"Wherever you want." Lotor smiled as Lance led him towards another store. His phone buzzed quietly and he checked it when Lance's back was turned.

Shiro: 5:18 pm  _Same here_

Shiro put his phone in his pocket, watching Keith's chest move up and down rhythmically as he slept on Shiro's futon. They had started watching a movie, the end credits rolling now, and Keith had been out by the second scene. The two pairs had been avoiding each other, hanging out together from dawn to dusk. Shiro and Lotor knew that the boys would remember soon, so they stayed with them as much as possible, not wanting them to deal with it alone.

Lotor, his arms full with bags, led Lance home with a smile, pushing the door open gently. His hands full, Lance's keys slipped through Lotor's fingers. Lance froze, recognizing the sound. He looked at the bedroom, memories flooding into his brain.

"Shit." Lotor mumbled, tossing the bags on the floor, grabbing Lance's hand. Lance's expression had changed, eyes widened, mouth ajar. Lotor dialed Shiro, stroking Lance's hand as it rang.

"Lotor! Keith's remembering!" Shiro yelled, watching Keith's irregular breathing and cringing as he mumbled in his fitful remembrance.

"So is Lance! What do we do?" Lotor asked, supporting Lance as he went limp against him, eyes closed as he fainted. "Lance is out. Should I bring him over?"

"Sure." Shiro hung up, watching as Keith's breathing evened out. He bit his lip, concerned for the two boys. A knock at the door prompted Shiro to stand and open it. Lotor carried Lance inside, Shiro closing the door behind him.

"Should I put him on the futon with Keith?" Lotor asked, looking around the room.

"No. It's best we keep them seperate. Take him to my room." Lotor nodded, following Shiro to the bedroom. He set Lance down on the bed, both boys exchanging a worried look as he whimpered. Shiro turned to Lotor, whispering, "Now what?"

"To the kitchen. We can talk there."

They made their way to the kitchen, tiptoeing past Keith in the living room. Lotor leaned against the counter, his arms crossed. Shiro sat on the island stool, biting his lip in concern. "What do we do?"

Lotor smirked. "Phase One has begun."

"Excuse me?" Shiro asked, raising a brow.

"They remember now. Now we keep them away from each other as much as possible." Shiro raised a brow at Lotor's smile. "But, oh no! What about school? They share classes and sit with us at lunch! What do we do?"

Shiro waited for the answer, shaking his head at Lotor's playful tone. "Well? What do we do?"

"Absolutely nothing. We can't prevent them from seeing each other. It will simply speed up the plan. But, we can watch the shit go down." Lotor laughed gently, shrugging playfully. "Look, at this point, all we can do is stay with them and try and help them...relax."

"Fair enough." Shiro sighed, his shoulders falling in defeat. "I just...I don't want to leave them."

Lotor nodded, feeling the same way. "There will be others for us, I'm sure. But I think Lance and Keith are meant to be. Look, when you get drunk, what happens?"

"Usually, I throw up." 

"No, no. I mean...When you get drunk, your true feelings come out, right?" Shiro's mouth widened as he caught Lotor's meaning, listening closely. "They clearly have feelings for each other that they need to explore. Shiro, they need to be together."

Dejected, Shiro nodded. "I know."

"Look, I'll go watch Keith first, make sure he doesn't wake up. You take Lance. We can switch in two hours, just to keep our blood flowing." Lotor said, standing. Shiro nodded again, standing as well. "Let me know if anything happens."

Shiro walked towards his bedroom, watching Lotor grab the iced coffee he kept in Shiro's fridge for an emergency. Lotor went to the living room and sat on the recliner. He went on his phone, pulling up some aesthetic pictures to look at to pass the time.

Two hours later, Shiro came out, telling Lotor to go. Lotor nodded, heading for where Lance lay. Sitting on the recliner, Shiro stared at Keith, who slept fretfully and restlessly.

The shifts continued through the night, the boyfriends staying up all night to make sure Lance and Keith were okay. As much as they would regret it tomorrow, the boys needed Shiro and Lotor.

About 4:30 in the morning, during Lotor's shift by Keith, Keith began to stir. Lotor called Shiro, who came running out, both concerned.

"Lance is waking too. I'll stay with Keith, you...go to Lance. Good luck."


	15. Chapter 15

Thursday, August 17th, 4:28 am

Keith stretched as much as one could on a futon, already feeling tired. Looking around, he could tell he wasn't in his dorm. He found Shiro on the recliner staring at him and Keith felt a pang of guilt as he recalled all the memories of him and Lance fucking. Feeling his face grow warm, he put his head in his hands. 

"Are you okay, Keith?" Shiro asked, watching Keith shake his head slowly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." Keith whispered into his hands. Shiro furrowed his brows in confusion. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"What do you think?" Keith asked, lifting his head to look at Shiro. Warm tears fell from Keith's eyes as he looked at the boyfriend he cheated on. "God, I'm so sorry."

"Keith, I underst-"

"No you don't understand. It wasn't right! I..." Keith sighed, lowering his voice. "I wasn't that drunk."

"Keith, you had four drinks." Shiro reasoned.

"By the time we started, I was barely buzzed." Keith paused to let Shiro understand that. "My body goes through alcohol  _fast._ "

Unable to process this new information, Shiro could only manage an "oh".

In Shiro's bedroom, Lotor was delivered basically the same news, how Lance was just above tipsy when the two rivals made love.

"So, you're telling me what exactly?" Lotor asked, trying to grasp this.

"While I was drunk enough to forget, I was sober enough to...consciously choose to do...it." Lance stated, trying not to freak out or freak Lotor out. "I, uh, I mean my thoughts were jumbled and cloudy, but I knew it was Keith."

 _Well, this changes things._ Lotor thought, staring at Lance as he mulled the facts over.  _This also will help speed things forward. I'll...I'll have to leave Lance sooner than I imagined._

"Lotor? Are you okay?" The concern in Lance's voice snapped Lotor out of his head. He nodded, feeling a lump rise in his throat. Lance's eyebrows furrowed as he wiped tears from Lotor's cheeks that Lotor didn't know had fallen. "I'm sorry. I know this is bad. But this is my fault and my problem. Listen, if you want to break up with me, I understand."

"That's the thing. I  _don't_ want to break up with you. I mean, this hurts, you know?" Lotor sniffed, attempting to hide his feelings as the plan played itself over and over in the back of his head, causing a pang of sadness and a headache. "Let me think it over for a few days, okay?"

Lance nodded, smiling slightly. He hoped Lotor wouldn't break up with him, but, as heartbroken as that would leave him, he deserved it. As the two walked towards the door, they heard talking and crying. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm sure." Lotor grabbed the door, conviently blocking Lance's view to the living room, and, hopefully, Keith's view of Lance. He gently shoved Lance out the door, closing it behind him.

Keith didn't even look up from the floor when the door closed, trying to stop his guilty tears.

"Keith, please. You're being too hard on yourself." Shiro tried to reason, his heart aching at the sight of Keith.

"No, Shiro, I'm not being hard enough on myself." Keith stood, heading towards the front door. "I'm sorry, but we need to break up."

"What?" Shiro stood, following him to the door.

"You deserve better than me." Keith said, shutting the door between them. Both boys wanted to stop each other, hug, make up. Neither of them could move towards each other as Keith began to walk away from the house.

Shiro just stared at the closed door, unsure of the last fifteen minutes. Getting out his phone, he texted Acxa, then Lotor.

Shiro: 4:50 am  _Please check on Keith_

Shiro: 4:51 am  _How's Lance?_

He sat down on the recliner, still stunned from the breakup that just occurred. A buzz of his phone pulled him from his confusion.

Acxa: 4:51 am  _What happened?? He said you guys broke up!_

Shiro: 4:52 am  _It's a long story. Care to meet Lotor and I for coffee?_

Acxa: 4:52 am  _See you in 15_

Shiro stood up, opting for pacing instead of panicking. His phone buzzed and he quickly looked at the bright screen.

Lotor: 4:53 am  _Could be better, but fine_

Shiro: 4:53 am  _Coffee in 15?_

Lotor: 4:53 am  _Please_

Shiro sighed out, letting his head clear as he grabbed his coat and headed out the door, locking it behind him. He walked over to the coffe shop, thinking.

"Large hot chocolate with whipped cream." Shiro sighed again. It was one of  _those_ days. 

"Pumpkin spice latte as well." Lotor said from behind him. "Hot chocolate, huh? That bad? You never get hot chocolate unless you've had a shitty day. And it's only 5 am."

"Let's just say, this morning fucking sucks already." Shiro nodded with a light smile.

"Add a chai latte to their order." Acxa appeared, putting her arms around Lotor and Shiro. She threw a twenty at the barista, telling her to keep the change. The three took their drinks and headed to a booth. "Full story. Now."

Shiro sighed, sipping his hot chocolate before he began.

**. . . . .**

"So, you're telling me my brother fucked Lance?!" Acxa asked, rubbing her head after the crazy story Shiro told. "I fucking knew it! Now Pidge owes me twenty bucks!"

"Wait...what?" Lotor and Shiro exchanged a confused glance. "You...knew...?"

"Yeah, duh. You didn't know?" Acxa rolled her eyes as if that made any sense to the boys. "Alright, story time. The first time Keith met Lance, he was instantly enamored. Keith had a  **huge** crush on Lance until fifth grade, when Lance went out with his first girlfriend. It both angered and saddened Keith. This was also before Keith officially liked men, you know? Anyways, in middle school, Lance came out as bi, as you both know. That pissed Keith off more, because as much as Keith tried, he couldn't hide or get rid of these feelings for Lance. Lance's first boyfriend was Keith's closest friend at the time, which obviously angered Keith. Soon, Lance and Keith began fighting and then they were rivals. High school was super angsty and hormonal. They fought, like, twice a day. And now, we're in college. I'm not surprised at all that they fucked. In my opinion, it's about goddamn time."

At this point, Lotor and Shiro's mouths were wide, along with their eyes. "So, Keith..."

"This explains why Keith broke up with me." Shiro said, lowering his eyes.

"Wait, he broke up with you? I thought you broke up with him. You know, Phase Three." Lotor exclaimed.

"Phase Three? What are you boys planning?" Acxa raised a brow.

"First of all, yes. Keith broke up with me, probably because he still likes Lance. Second of all, Lotor will explain it. I don't really know." Shiro shrugged, sipping his drink.

"After Shiro and I found out, we figured it was for the best that we let the boys figure out their hidden or subconscious feelings towards each other. The plan  _was_ that once they remember...going at it, we would stay with them, support them for a while. That's Phase One. Phase Two was the denial phase, where Keith and Lance would constantly complain about each other in a lovey-dovey way. That would cause Phase Three, the breakup phase. Finally, Phase Four: Lance and Keith realize their love for each other and get together." Lotor smiled, leaning back. Acxa nodded, slightly impressed.

"So, Keith messed up Shiro's phases, skipping straight to Phase Three. What stage is Lance at, Lotor?" She asked.

"Between Phase One and Two. I've got a feeling Phase Three is coming soon, probably in the next week." Lotor stated, sipping his latte.

"And you're okay with this?" Acxa asked, looking at Lotor. Shiro also watched him, always concerned for his passionate friend.

Lotor sighed. "I'm not going to pretend I'm 100% fine. But I think Lance and Keith were destined for each other. Someone else will come sweep me off my feet later."

Acxa and Shiro nodded, all three sharing a smile.


	16. Chapter 16

Friday, August 18th, 11:38 am

For once, the usually fun lunch table was silent as the gang waited for Shiro, Lotor, Lance, and Keith to show up, Acxa having told them what was going on. She also told them to act normally, which they were clearly failing at.

"Guys." She hissed, trying to fake a smile. "Act normally."

"So...uh...Pidge..." Allura began, thinking of ways to get Pidge fired up. "What kind of tech have you been working on lately?"

Pidge's eyes lit up and Allura smiled as Pidge began using bigger and bigger words. Soon, the gang saw Shiro and Lotor walking towards them, talking to each other quietly. Allura and Pidge were laughing at one of Hunk's jokes, allowing Acxa to lean over and whisper, "Where are they?"

Both boys shrugged honestly, then saw Keith walking towards them. As Shiro lowered his eyes, Acxa waved, patting the spot next to her. As he began walking towards her, someone bumped into him gently, and turned.

It was Lance Creswell.

Both boys locked eyes and went red, no words exchanged. They stayed frozen, simply staring at each other with mouths hanging open.

"Shit." Acxa muttered, both Shiro and Lotor looking up with concern. "What do we do?"

Before any of the gang could do anything, Keith had taken steps away, going back away from the lunch room, tears welling in his eyes. Both Acxa and Lance moved to follow, stopped only by instinct. Acxa knew her brother would want to be alone. Lance was confused as to why he cared at all. Why did his heart ache at the way Keith almost looked scared of him?

"This is worse than I thought." Shiro whispered as a quiet Lance sat besides Lotor, his eyes glued to the table.

"I'll talk to Keith tonight at home, make sure he's okay." Acxa told him, both watching Lance stare at his food, poking around every once in a while. "Jeez, love is weird."

Keith didn't attend any of the classes after lunch, scaring Acxa and Shiro. They didn't even know where he went, possibly home or to the health room. The gang tried to shrug it off and continue with their studies. Lance, however, was worried about Keith. He didn't know why Keith's absence was worrying him. Keith was his rival, his enemy, his...lover. Lance shuddered, feeling his face grow warm. This was the first time he truly acknowledged what happened with Keith. He winced as the night played again in his head, making his cheeks grow more red.

All during the last class of the day, Lance felt himself glancing towards the empty seat besides him with concern. He couldn't focus on his studies or listening to the teacher drone on about the anatomy of the vertebral column.

 _Why am I concerned about Keith?_ Lance thought to himself, stealing another glance at the desk sitting empty besides him. He tried to forget about Keith and the intimate night they shared. He attempted to copy the notes from the board, but his mind just replayed that night over and over. When the bell rang, Lance made his way to his locker, subdued. Lotor smiled as he walked towards Lance, causing Lance to fake a smile back.

"Are you okay?" Lotor asked, his smile falling when he saw Lance. Lance stopped his fake smile and shrugged. "What's wrong?"

"I'm...I'm worried about...Keith." Lance said honestly, looking away from Lotor. Lotor's heart clenched as he heard the concern in Lance's voice. He felt jealousy rising, but he pushed it away, letting his guard down.

"So am I." Lotor nodded. The two walked out together silently, both thinking about Keith. 

Keith was in his room when Acxa came home from school, not eating or doing homework. He simply sat on his bed, staring at the wall.

"Keith?" Acxa knocked lightly, opening the door a crack when she got no response. "Can I come in?"

Keith barely nodded, causing Acxa to wonder if she saw it at all. She closed the door behind her, sitting next to him on the bed. "Rant."

Keith growled, falling back on the bed, his eyes covered with his hands. "I thought I was over him, Acxa. Goddammit, I'm a fucking idiot!"

Acxa waited, listening to Keith sigh out. "Go on."

"I hate him!"

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't." Keith whimpered, sitting up. "That's the problem. I  _know_ he doesn't like me."

"Keith, you two literally fucked! Why wouldn't he like you?" Acxa asked, confused.

"First, he's still with Lotor." Keith countered. Acxa nodded, realizing that was true.  _Hurry up with the plan, Lotor. You're messing shit up._  "Second, we were drunk. Well, I wasn't as much, but I'm sure he was. And the way he looked at me at lunch today. He looked confused and...and disgusted."

"It's Lance. He wouldn't be disgusted with you." Acxa smiled gently, met with Keith staring at her with one brow raised. "Okay, but disgusted seems pretty far, even for Lance."

Keith shrugged, clearly dejected. "I hate that I love the feeling I get when I look at him. My heart speeds up, I get butterflies in my stomach, my face heats up. It pisses me off. I hate that I love the way his eyes sparkle when he laughs. I hate that I love the way his hair blows in the wind. I hate that I love everything about him. These stupid feelings have been going on since elementary school. You know I've tried to move on, find someone else, but I always end up back at Lance fucking Creswell."

Acxa nodded, glad he was finally opening up again. "I know. So, what are you going to do about these feelings?"

Keith stayed silent, thinking it over. "I'm going to tell him how I feel."


	17. Chapter 17

Friday, August 25th, 3:32 pm

 Keith and Lance shared their final class on Fridays. The teacher, not unlike the Thursday's class, had put them together in the seating chart, causing them to avoid eye contact during the whole two hours of class.

This class today, though, would be more awkward than usual. A speaker was coming in to talk about safe sex. However, none of the students knew that yet.

"You are all adults." The male speaker began, causing Keith to raise a brow. "I'm here to talk to you about safe sex."

Both Keith and Lance's eyes grew wide and their faces grew red. Flashes of their drunken night appeared in their minds. Keith shook his head, resting his head on his hand in a way that blocked Lance from his view. Lance laid his head in his arms on his desk, trying to clear the memories from his mind.

"Some of you are probably sexually active." For some reason, the speaker looked at the two blushing boys in the front. "That's your choice. However, you should be safe about it."

Keith shook his head again, his eyes squeezed closed as he watched the night over and over again.  _Is this punishment for not using a condom?_

"Being safe is more than just using a condom. Before you choose to become sexually active, you and your partner should both seek testing for sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV or herpes. Why do you need testing before becoming sexually active? Some STDs are hereditary, meaning they were passed down through your family." The speaker was now prepping an unwanted presentation about sex. "STDs aren't only hereditary, though, and they are also not just spread through vaginal sex. It can also be spread through both oral and anal sex."

Keith risked a short glance at Lance, who just so happened to be glancing back, sending both of them into a fit of memories of their oral and anal sexual activities. Keith covered his eyes with a hand, his face turning more red that it was before.  _Please just end the torture._

Both boys looked at the clock, finding they still had a half an hour. As the speaker began listing all the STDs that can be spread by oral sex, Keith leaned back, looking to the ceiling to repel the memories. He began counting the tiles, trying to drown out the speaker and speed up time.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7...

Keith looked back to the front, avoiding the screen and Lance. The speaker whispered to the teacher, who whispered back at him.

"Let's say Keith here decided to have oral sex with Lance," The speaker stopped as laughs echoed through the classroom, the two rivals? Lance and Keith's eyes widened. Their eyes found each other and their pink faces turned dark red. They both turned away from each other, looking anywhere but each other. Keith's mind raced, reminding him of Lance looking at him with those teasing eyes as he put his lips to Keith's dick. Lance blinked rapidly, his mind remembering Keith calling his name as they came together. "Both of them would be at risk for HIV, herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, HPV, viral hepatitis, and many more STDs."

As the speaker used other people as examples, the two boys couldn't stop looking at the clock, desperate to escape the memories and awkwardness. Finally, the bell rang and Keith and Lance had never ran out of the classroom so fast. They bolted in opposite directions, Lance to his locker, Keith towards his. His eyes towards the flood, Keith ran into someone, mumbling, "Sorry."

"Where do you think you're going, Keith?!" Acxa demanded, startling Keith.

"To my locker?" Keith asked uncertainly, scared of the determination on his sister's face.

"Wrong answer." Acxa grabbed his shoulders, turning him the other way with a shove. "You're talking to Lance."

At the mention of his rival's name, Keith looked down, turning red. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why?"

"After the class we just had-"

"You're not getting out of this." Acxa said, rolling her eyes. "I will drag your ass to his locker personally and tell him myself how you feel if you don't."

"I'll go." Keith squeaked. Acxa smiled, waving and watching him turn towards Lance's locker.

"Ugh, I hate those sex-ed talks! Why did he use me as an example?" Lotor complained to Lance as they walked towards Lance's locker. "Are you okay, Lance? You're being unusually quiet."

"Lotor, I..." Lance whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "I don't think this is working."

Lotor knew this was coming, hell, he had planned it himself, but he didn't think it would hurt this bad. His heart clenched, he felt tears roll down his cheeks. "Is it something I did?"

"No! No of course not. It's me." Lance took Lotor's hands in his, looking him in the eyes. "You did nothing wrong, I promise."

"It's Keith you want, isn't it?" Lotor had tried not to be jealous, but it slipped out. 

"I don't know, maybe. I just need some time to figure out exactly what I need. I'm sorry." Lance took Lotor's face in his hands, pulling their lips together for one final kiss. Lotor closed his eyes, knowing this was the last. As the two broke apart, Lotor thought he saw Keith running away from the pair, shoving past other students.  _That's probably not good._


	18. Chapter 18

Saturday, August 26th, 4:22 pm

"Keith?" Shiro asked Lotor after he explained what happened after school. "That's definitely not good. If Keith gets the wrong idea, he'll be heartbroken."

"It's not an if." Acxa came through the front door, closing it behind her. "Keith's locked himself in his room and is crying his eyes out."

"Oh god. What have I done?" Lotor muttered, putting his head in his hands. 

"This wasn't your fault, Lotor." Shiro stated.

"I should've sped up the plan." Lotor shook his head. 

"Hey guys. What's going on?" Lance walked into Shiro's living room, having been raiding the kitchen during the conversation. Acxa, Lotor, and Shiro exchanged looks, debating silently whether to tell him. Shiro nodded, causing Acxa to sigh. "Guys?"

"Lance, it's Keith." Acxa said, the three friends watching Lance with concern. Lance felt his face grow warm at the mere mention of his rival's name.

"Uh...what about him?" Lance asked warily.

"Well, for a start, he's had a major crush on you for years." Acxa stated nonchalantly.

"What?!" Lance yelled, his eyes and mouth wide open. "You're kidding. You have to be kidding."

The three shook their heads, causing Lance to look around rapidly, confused. Acxa grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. "Listen, Keith's liked you ever sense he met you. He's tried to hide and replace those feelings, but obviously never succeeded, not even with Shiro."

"But I thought he hated me!" Lance countered.

"Do you even remember him in middle school?" Acxa raised a brow. Lance's mind flashed back to Keith's constant staring. "He  _never_ hated you. Sure, he was pissed when you dated Ryan Kinkade and not him, but he clearly got over it."

Lance remained silent, taking it all in. He had never seen Keith interesting in a romantic way before, but now...

"The problem is, Keith saw you and Lotor kiss yesterday." Shiro said.

"That's not a problem. Lotor and I broke up." Lance shrugged, confused as to why that was a problem.

"Keith doesn't know that." Lotor looked to the ground.

Oh.  _Oh._ Lance covered his mouth with his hand, realizing his mistake. While he still didn't know exactly how he felt about Keith, he understood how this would hurt him, especially with the crush Keith apparently had. Lance watched Acxa exchange a glance with Shiro. "There's more, isn't there?"

Acxa nodded, before hesitantly continuing. "He's locked himself in his room again."

"Again?" Lance asked.

"Back in middle school, when you first got with Ryan, he locked himself in his room for three days, not eating or sleeping. I'm worried this time will be worse." Acxa sat down on the couch besides Lance, watching him with concern.

"So what do we do?" Lance asked, looking between the three.

"I'm not sure there's anything we can do." Acxa said. Lance sighed, nodding as the discussion switched topics.

As the weekend ended and school began, Keith still wasn't around. Every morning, Lance, Lotor, and Shiro would wait for Acxa, who would shake her head no. No Keith today Lance was starting to worry, nut just for Keith, but for himself too. 

He was beginning to miss having Keith around. He felt himself thinking about Keith's hair and eyes in class and Keith's smile at home. Despite all his efforts, he couldn't get Keith out of his head. Honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted Keith out of his head. He found himself turning red with a smile when his mind brought up a memory of Keith.

At the same time, memories of Keith brought guilt as well. It was completely Lance's fault Keith wasn't around. The others tried to convince him it wasn't, but he knew it was. He couldn't believe he didn't see the crush before. Looking back, it was too obvious. Yet Lance had  _still_ been such a dick, to everyone, not just Keith.

By Friday, the rest of the gang was asking about Keith. Acxa's "sick" excuse wasn't working anymore.

"Is he on a vacation or something?" Allura asked.

"We know something's going on. The whole school is gossiping about Keith." Hunk added.

"Come on, spill it!" Pidge demanded. Acxa shook her head, amused by her begging friends.

"It's my fault Keith's gone." Lance said quietly, pushing the untouched school lunch away from him. All the talk about Keith made him lost his appetite, full with guilt instead.

"What?" Hunk froze, sandwich inches from his face.

"How?" Pidge adjusted their glasses, staring at Lance curiously.

"Why?" Allura nodded, all three of them nearly jumping, excited for more gossip and drama.

"It just is. And you know what, it's between Keith and I, not the whole fucking school!" Lance yelled as he stood, catching the attention of the entire lunch room. It was silent as Lance walked out, buzzing loudly when he was gone.

"What's with him?" Hunk asked, concerned.

"It's nothing. Just drop it." Shiro shook his head, watching Lance walk away.

Lance just left. He left the school, heading home. His other classes of the day were just study anyway. Walking in, he closed the door, leaning against it in defeat. He smiled lightly as he remembered his night with Keith, being shoved up against the very door he was leaning on. He recalled the taste of Keith's lips, the smell of Keith's hair, every little detail he could.

Pushing away from the door, he opening it, running back to the school. He knew what he wanted.  _I won't give you up, Keith._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize now that it's strange that these kids have college during the summer...but just roll with it...I just forgot summer was a thing sadly...so...yeah...roll with it...


	19. Chapter 19

Friday, September 1st, 4:37 pm

"Are you sure you want to do this, Lance? You don't have to." Acxa said as her and Lance walked towards her home.

"I want to, Acxa. I know what I want now." Lance answered, feeling butterflies in his stomach as they got closer. The feelings were familiar. Every time Keith spoke to him this year, he had felt his heart leap into his throat and his stomach tied into knots. With his ignorance though, he had dismissed it as hate and anger. How didn't he see what he wanted before?

"So..." Acxa nudged him.

"What?" Lance raised a brow.

"You've got a crush?" Acxa asked, wiggling her eyebrows to mock him. He felt his face grow warm and he couldn't help but smile.

"I just can't believe I didn't see it before." Lance shook his head, remembering all the times he denied his feelings just because it was Keith, his enemy and rival.

Acxa stopped walking, grabbing Lance's shoulders. Her face turned dark. "You hurt my little brother again and I will rip you apart limb from limb."

Lance gulped, nodding meekly. Acxa smiled, hitting Lance's back hard, causing him to stumble.

Opening the door, Acxa led Lance in, pointing down the hall. Barely above a whisper, she told him, "Last door to the left. I'll be out. Don't fuck up!"

_Comforting._ Lance thought as he walked down the hall, hearing the front door close as Acxa left. He found the room and listened, hearing silence interrupted by Keith's sniffles. Taking a deep breath, he knocked.

"Hey, Keith."

Sitting with his back against the door, Keith's breathing stopped, fresh tears flowing from his eyes. Hearing Lance's voice now hurt more than anything else could. Why did he have to use Keith's first name too? Keith gripped his arms to his chest, clenching his eyes shut. "No."

"It's Lance." Lance put his hand against the door, his heart beating fast.

"Don't do this to me." Keith begged, hoping Lance would just go back to his perfect life with Lotor and stop taunting him with this fake concern.

"I was hoping we could talk." Lance said, hoping Keith would just open the door. He needed to make sure Keith was okay.

"Please, just go away." Keith felt his voice crack with emotion, his throat raw from disuse.

Lance felt his heart clench. The pain in Keith's voice was Lance's fault, he cause this. He leaned against the door, sliding down with his knees tucked to his chest. He felt warm tears spilling from his eyes as he thought of what Keith was putting himself through, and all because of Lance.

"Keith, I'm sorry." Lance mumbled, wiping away the tears. Keith looked up from the floor, worried he had misheard. Lance apologizing? To him of all people! "I'm so sorry."

Keith remained silent, pulling his knees to his chest, both boys unknowingly mirroring each other. He didn't understand why Lance was apologizing. It was Keith's fault, after all. That's why he locked himself in his room, to be out of the way.

"Would you mind if I just talked?" Lance asked timidly, letting down his confident disguise. "Told you how I feel? As Lance, not Creswell."

Keith wasn't sure he wanted to hear what Lance felt. He was scared Lance still hated him and Acxa just made him apologize. But he was even more scared for the opposite, that Lance didn't hate him and...maybe even more...

"Okay."

Lance smiled lightly through his tears at Keith's meek response. He felt his heart speed up as he took a deep breath, trying to gain control of his tears.

"Let me start by telling you that Lotor and I broke up. The kiss you saw, it was one of those stupid breakup kisses. Listen, I wouldn't have done it if Lotor hadn't been crying. This whole week you've been gone, and honestly, since...well, you know... _that_ night, I've been thinking and feeling differently. At first, I was freaked out and pissed off. I tried to forget the night ever happened by being with Lotor 24-7. But it just didn't feel right, he didn't feel right. So we broke up and Shiro invited us and Acxa over on Saturday to watch the basketball game. When I came back from getting some food, I swear I was gone for five seconds, Acxa dropped some intense news. Uh...she told me you've had a crush on me for years."

_I'm going to fucking murder you, Acxa._ Keith thought, glad the door hid his furious blushing. Lance smiling lightly, remembering his freak out when she told him.

"Not gonna lie, I kinda flipped out. I don't know if I am just too oblivious or what, but I probably never would've seen it. I mean, looking back, it's so obvious. No offense, but you were terrible at hiding it really."

"Yet, you never saw it." Keith spoke softly, a small smile gracing his lips. Lance grinned, leaning back on the door.

"I wasn't looking. You were the weird emo kid who always started at me. But now...well, you're still a weird emo." Lance paused as he heard Keith giggle. He didn't realize how much he had missed Keith's smile and was dying to see it again. God, he was in deep. Lance sighed, wondering how to continue. "Listen, can we _at least_ be friends, not enemies?"

Then, the door opened. The door Lance was leaning on. He fell back, letting out a surprised gasp.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were leaning on the door!" Keith's eyes widened, watching as Lance lay on the floor. "Are you okay?"

Lance put his hand up, waiting for Keith to help him up. Keith took Lance's hand, pulling him from the ground. Their hands lingered together, neither wanting to let go. But Keith did, unsure of how Lance truly felt about him. They both stayed silent, unsure of what to do now that most feelings were out.

"Uh...do you want to go get some food or something?" Lance asked, trying to break the awkwardness.

"Sure, friend." Keith joked, just a little disappointed the two weren't more than friends. Lance cracked a smile as they walked out to Lance's car. Keith whistled at the sight of the convertible blue '79 Corvette. The hood was back as Lance got in the car. "Damn, I didn't even know you owned a car. You always walk everywhere."

"You can admire her all you like, but just remember Blue's mine." Lance smirked, putting the key in and starting the car as Keith got in. The soft purr of the engine brought a smile to Keith's face. Lance felt his face growing red and was thankful it was getting dark. Lance put the car in reverse, pulling out of Keith's driveway. "Any place in mind?"

"Anywhere with food." Keith said, watching the sunset with a small smile. Lance glanced over every once in and a while, more enthralled with Keith than the sunset.

They pulled into the parking lot of a local diner, infamous for the best burgers and milkshakes in town. The pair walked in the restaurant, seeing it was fairly busy. A pretty waitress with blue shoulder length hair led them to a booth, handing them the menus. Everything looked good to Keith, since he'd kind of been starving himself. The two stayed silent, both thinking about the menu and each other.

"What can I get for ya, hons?" The waitress asked, looking to Lance first.

"Just a regular burger, please." Lance said, handing her his menu. She turned to Keith, who looked ready to eat his own arm.

"Double cheeseburger with fries and a vanilla milkshake. Thanks." Keith looked at Lance sheepishly as the waitress walked away. "I'm a little hungry, okay?"

"Hey, no judgments here." Lance raised his hands in mock surrender with a smile. Neither of them knew what to say now that Keith's secret crush was out and Lance didn't want to rush Keith into anything, especially with his guilt still eating him alive.

"I just-" Both started at the same time. They shared a light laugh, both hearts heavy.

"Go ahead." Lance offered, trying to calm his nerves.

"No, you go ahead." Keith shook his head.

"Uh..." Lance started, collecting his thoughts. "I just wanted to apologize for all the stupid things I've done to hurt you in the past. I've been a total dick for no reason and I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I haven't been much better. Also, I'm so sorry about your grandmother. I had no idea and I wanted to offer condolences." Keith lowered his eyes to the table with a frown. Lance blinked, surprised Keith remembered. A strand of Keith's long hair fell in his face. Lance had the overwhelming urge to tuck it behind Keith's ear so he could see Keith's blue-gray eyes. Biting his lip, Lance did, causing Keith to look up at him, eyes wide. Lance blinked, realizing what he just did.

"Sorry, I, uh...I don't know why I did that." Lance felt his face flush, but he couldn't take his eyes away from Keith's. As they sat in silent admiration, the food came, tearing them out of their trance. Keith bit his lip, watching the food being set in front of him with hunger. As the waitress walked away, he took a big bite of his burger, his stomach growling angrily. Lance smirked, eating his food calmly. They made small talk as Keith wolfed down his food.

As they finished and went to pay, Keith began fishing out his wallet.

"No, I got it." Lance smiled, handing his credit card to the cashier.

"Lance, you don't have-"

"Please." Lance looked at him and Keith saw the guilt in Lance's eyes, so he nodded. They walked to the Corvette in silence, so many unsaid words floating around in the air, waiting to be admitted out loud. The silence was only interrupted by the soft hum of the car and some quiet 80's jams playing from the radio.

They arrived at Keith's house and both got out, Lance walking Keith to the door. Keith opened the front door and paused, looking back at Lance, who smiled. Keith threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. Lance froze, then melted into the hug. He wrapped his arms around Keith and rested his head on Keith's shoulder, picking up the scent of shampoo in Keith's long hair that tickled Lance's face.

"Thank you, Lance." Keith whispered, smiling. Lance smiled, gently pulling Keith closer to him.

"Of course." Lance answered, reluctantly pulling back. Keith smiled, walking into the house and watching Lance drive away. Lance pulled into his driveway, turning the car off and sitting in silence, a smile dancing on his lips. He got out, unlocking his front door, walking inside. Turning away from the door, he jumped, seeing Lotor, Shiro, and Acxa staring at him with big smiles.

"Tell us  _everything._ "


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***SELF HARM WARNING***

Friday, September 1st, 10:12 pm

After recounting the night's events to his friends, Lance just couldn't stop smiling, both joyful from the night and hopeful for the future.

"So now what?" Lotor asked.

"What do you mean?" Lance raised a brow.

"When's the first date?" Acxa questioned, her eyes lighting up.

"We're just friends," Lance rolled his eyes. "unfortunately."

Lotor and Shiro exchanged a glance, a smirk, and a nod, looking back to Lance.

"What are you two planning?" Lance asked, concerned for everyone's safety.

"Oh, nothing." Shiro looked bored, glancing away.

"Come on. What is it?" Lance pried, starting to worry.

"It's really nothing." Lotor smirked.

"Just a dinner get together for the whole gang!" Shiro nodded.

"Great idea!" Acxa added, her eyes lighting up as she understood what they were planning. Not quite catching on, Lance furrowed his brows, knowing there was more but too tired to question.

"You know what, sounds great. I'm going to sleep so if you would all kindly leave." Lance stood, then stopped. "How'd you get in here anyway? The door was locked."

Acxa smirked, looking quite proud of herself. "Bobby pins."

"You broke into my house?" Lance asked, shaking his head as Acxa nodded. The gang filed out, leaving Lance alone. He went to bed, Keith's eyes the subject of his dreams.

A week later, the gang  _was_ going to dinner. Lotor had offered a ride to Lance and they arrived at the Mexican restaurant about the same time Allura and Acxa were pulling in. The two girls linked arms, sending a pang of jealousy through Lance that he and Keith weren't like that. They walked in, seeing Shiro and Keith waiting for them at the biggest booth of the restaurant. They sat down, Lotor offering Lance to scoot in first. He nodded, smiling until he realized he was next to Keith. Both boys blushed as Lotor and the girls pushed them together. Then, Pidge and Hunk appeared with smiles and secretive winks. They sat down by Shiro, squeezing Lance and Keith closer together. As they all were talking and laughing, the waiter came over and asked them what they wanted to drink.

"Actually, we're not staying." Lotor smiled innocently. Both Keith and Lance furrowed their brows, confused on where this was coming from.

"In fact, we'll be going now." Shiro said as Pidge and Acxa stood.

"Where are we going?" Lance asked.

"You two aren't going anywhere." Pidge smirked, winking at the waiter, who nodded and left.

"You two have a date." Allura stated as if it was obvious.

"What?!" Both boys turned red, unaware of the plan in action.

"Yup! Have fun!" Hunk said as he and Pidge left.

"See you later!" Shiro waved as he and Lotor walked out, high-fiving with huge grins. Allura and Acxa followed, laughing at the faces of confusion of the two boys.

Keith and Lance sat there in silence, mouths wide open and eyebrows crinkled.

"What just happened?" Lance asked, bewildered.

"I believe they just set us up on a date." Keith shook his head with a smile. "Those brilliant bastards."

Lance chuckled, causing Keith's smile to widen.

"So now what?" Lance asked as his laughter subsided. Keith shrugged.

"We should...entertain them, right?" Keith asked, a brow raised with a smirk.

"Oh, of course." Lance grinned. The boys looked at the menu, both raising a brow with a sigh.

"Do you actually want Mexican?" Keith asked, setting his menu down.

"Honestly, no. Lotor drove me here, though, so I don't have a way to get anywhere else." Lance shrugged.

"I do." Keith smirked, standing and throwing a five on the table for the waiter. Lance followed Keith out, watching as he stopped in front of a motorcycle.

"No way." Lance's mouth dropped as he circled the scarlet red 2010 Harley Road Glide. Keith pulled two helmets out of the storage on the back, throwing one to Lance.

"Ever ridden before?" Keith asked as he swung his leg over the seat.

"Only in my dreams." Lance mumbled, pulling the helmet on and getting on the back, sitting very close to Keith. Keith put his helmet on with a smirk.

"You might want to hold on to me." Keith said as he started the bike. Lance blushed, wrapping his arms around him hesitantly. "Hold on tight."

Lance hugged Keith tightly as the bike took off out of the parking lot. He smiled at the enjoyment of the ride and the proximity to Keith. The body heat Keith was giving off helped combat the chilly wind from the speed of the bike. He put his head in the crook of Keith's neck, glad the helmet hid his blush and wide grin.

Keith smirked, turning on to a different road. He sped up, causing Lance to cling to him tighter. Keith pulled the bike into a parking lot by the strip. He savored Lance's grip for a second before taking his helmet off. He shook his head to fix his hair, trying not to frown as Lance took his arms away from his waist. Lance jumped off the bike, taking off his helmet and handing it to Keith. 

As the sun was close to setting, the two made their way up the pier, watching the water reflect the neon lights turning on in shops and restaurants.

"What do you want to eat?" Keith asked, looking at the restaurants along the pier. 

"Burgers?" Lance offered, getting a nod from Keith.

"I know just the place." Keith let the way, a smile playing on his lips. They ended up at a little "snack shack", the smells of hot dogs and ice cream filling the air. The pair walked inside, ordering burgers, fries, and ice cream, then took a booth.

The food came and they ate in silence, both unsure exactly how the other felt and both wondering how to casually break the friend zone.

"Care to take the ice cream to go?" Lance asked, seeing a chance as the sun began its descent. Keith nodded, grabbing his ice cream and following Lance out.

They walked in silence, finishing off their ice cream while admiring the setting sun. Throwing away the containers, the two continued their stroll.

Lance watched Keith out of the corner of his eyes, debating about making a move. He felt himself bite his lip, looking down at Keith's vacant hand. He shook his head, closing his eyes and reached out, taking Keith's hand in his own.

Keith smiled, feeling his face grow warm. He looked at Lance, seeing his eyes clasped closed. He giggled, squeezing Lance's hand.

Lance opened his eyes, a blush covering his cheeks. Keith's eyes sparkled in the final light of the sunset. They walked to the end of the pier hand in hand, both with smiles on their faces.

As the sun fell below the horizon, the wind kicked up, nipping at Lance's exposed arms. He hadn't grabbed his jacket, thinking he would be staying at the restaurant. As the two watched the water in the light of the buildings on the shore line, Lance tried to hide his shivers by moving closer to Keith. Keith noticed the goosebumps on Lance's arms and began taking off his jacket instinctively.

"No, I'm fine." Lance shook his head as Keith handed him his jacket.

"Put it on, Creswell." Keith smirked, shoving it at him. Lance smiled, putting on the soft red jacket, hugging himself with the new warmth. "That's my favorite jacket so be very fucking careful with it."

Lance smiled with a laugh, looking down as Keith's hand found his. His smile dropped instantly and he pulled Keith's hand up.

"Keith, is this..." Lance trailed off, looking at the barely healing cuts all over Keith's arm. Keith lost his ability to talk, having forgotten to hide it. He felt tears welling in his eyes and squeezed them shut, not wanting to see Lance's reaction. "Did you...did you do this to yourself, Keith?"

Lance looked at Keith, who nodded as tears streamed down his face. Lance felt his breath leave him as he looked at the ugly marks up and down Keith's arm. Neither of the boys could move as Lance just stared at the marks. Tears began to fall from Lance's eyes and he squeezed Keith's hand. He tore his eyes away, looking up to Keith's shut eyes. Lance inhaled sharply, pulling Keith towards him. He held Keith tightly to him. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance and clung to him as he cried.

"I'm sorry, Keith." Lance whispered, burying his face into Keith's hair. "I'm so sorry you've felt down enough to do this."

Keith clutched Lance tightly as he calmed down slowly. Lance still hugged him even after he stopped crying, clearly concerned about him. Against his wishes, Lance loosened his grip, pulling away from Keith. He remained in Keith's arms, both afraid to let go of the other.

"If you ever get this down again, you can talk to me now." Lance smiled lightly, a pit of guilt in his stomach.

"Thank you, Lance." Keith smiled too and the two boys stared into each other's eyes. Lance moved a hand behind Keith's head to softly play with his hair. Lance glanced down to Keith's lips, feelings himself drawn towards them. He felt himself leaning slowly, a sudden knot in his stomach.

Then, Lance kissed Keith.


	21. Chapter 21

Friday, September 8th, 9:12 pm

The kiss was quick, a short peck over too soon. Lance pulled away slightly, in fear of ruining the relationship the boys had created. Keith shook his head, his eyes still closed. He grabbed the collar of the jacket Lance wore and pulled him back.

Lance smiled, tangling his fingers into Keith's hair, tugging Keith closer to him as he closed his eyes again. Keith basically melted in Lance's grip and kiss. It was everything he dreamed of and remembered. Keith gripped the fabrics of ~~Lance's~~ _his_ jacket tightly, wishing he could pull Lance closer. Their proximity fought against the chilly night winds that blew over the boys.

Keith broke apart from Lance to breath, against his feelings and fantasies. Lance leaned his forehead against Keith's, both boys out of breath yet satisfied.

"Well that was definitely something." Lance smiled, causing Keith to laugh. Lance continued to toy with Keith's hair, running his fingers through the soft locks. Keith closed his eyes, shivering as he pulled Lance closer.

"Let's go." Lance gestured towards the parking lot with his head. Keith nodded, offering his arm as the boys began walking. Lance smirked, linking arms with Keith. The two made small talk as they walked, discussing the upcoming finals and their amazing friends. Keith handed Lance his helmet when they got to the bike, putting his own on and getting on the bike. Lance followed, wrapping his arms around Keith eagerly. Keith started up the bike, a smile crossing his face as Lance leaned his head on Keith's shoulder. They sped off, Lance closing his eyes in contentment.

"Care to take a detour?" Keith yelled over the sound of the engine and wind. Lance smiled, shouting back an affirmative. Keith smirked, turning on to a rarely used road. The street lights became further apart before disappearing all together. Only the strong beam from the bike's headlight showed the tight turns and curves. Keith was clearly familiar with this path as he drove the bike expertly through the emerging trees.

Soon, a gravel pathway emerged between the trees and Keith turned on to it, heading deeper in the forest. The headlight began to light up a structure ahead, nestled in the dark. As they got closer, Lance could see the outline of a house. They pulled up next to it and Keith turned the bike off, taking off his helmet. Lance followed Keith inside, watching as he turned the lights on.

The house was more of a cottage, with wooden walls and floors. A large red rug covered the floor beneath soft-looking orange couch, chairs, and loveseat. A wooden coffee table with a glass table top sat besides the chairs with a lamp on top of it. A fireplace stared at the chairs, waiting to be lit. Behind the living room was a full wooden table, adorned with six chairs and a vase of Bellflowers lined with Corianders*. Next to the dining room was a spacious kitchen, full of stainless steel appliances. Dark granite countertops covered birch cabinets and drawers. The counters wrapped around the corner of the room to make a peninsula in the middle of the kitchen.

Lance looked around in awe, amazed at the craftsmanship and design. Keith smiled, glad to have impressed Lance. "Bathroom and bedrooms are down the hall on the left. Please take your shoes off." 

Lance nodded, slipping off his shoes and following Keith into the living room. Keith gestured to the couch as he grabbed some firewood from shelves next to the fireplace. He began setting up the logs as Lance sat down on the couch, admiring the beauty in front of him (the cottage or Keith, we will never know). With the fire started, Keith turned to Lance, a sheepish smile on his face. 

"This is a cottage my grandfather, my father, Acxa, and I built together about ten years ago, before my parents past away." Keith sat down next to Lance, who watched him speechlessly. "One of the last memories I have is of the two of them sitting at the dining room table laughing and playing cards."

"What happened to them?" Lance immediately regretted asking. "Sorry, I don't-"

"No, it's okay. My grandpa had cancer and past away when I was about 13, less than a year after we finished the cabin. My mother and father got into a car accident when I was 15, which meant Acxa and I had to go to an orphanage until Acxa turned 18. God, I hated that place. And I made sure everyone knew that. I caused hell like you wouldn't believe, running away and stealing a faculty car." Keith remembered nostalgically. Lance laughed, imagining a young Keith going Mario Kart on the roads. Keith stood, walking over to the dining room and bringing back a picture frame. He handed it to Lance, who smiled at the picture of Keith and his family in front of the cottage. Keith set the frame on the coffee table in front of him, both boys silent as Keith leaned back. 

Lance watched him, seeing him smile lightly. Lance reached out, interlacing their fingers delicately. Keith's smile widened as he looked at their connected hands. He smiled at Lance, leaning in slightly to connect their lips briefly. Then, Keith leaned on Lance's shoulder and closed his eyes. Lance felt his face flush lightly as he leaned his head on Keith's.

 Keith opened his eyes groggily. He felt an arm around his shoulders and warm breath moving his hair. Lance's head rested on his and Keith lay on Lance's chest. Keith looked around, blinking off the last of the drowsiness. The fire had reduced itself to a pile of glowing embers and there was no light coming from the windows in the dining room.  _What time is it?_

"Hey, sleepyhead." Lance spoke softly, looking away from his dimly lit phone.

"What time is it?" Keith asked, his voice deep from sleep.

"About 4 am." Lance checked his phone. "Sun will be up in about a half hour."

"Wait...4?" Keith asked, watching Lance nod. Keith stood wobbly, looking at Lance. "I have to get you home or our friends will think I kidnapped you or something."

"Probably more along the lines of something." Lance smirked as Keith blushed lightly, the inappropriate meaning not lost.

"I should drive you home." Keith said through a yawn.

"Now? Why not wait until a decent hour?" Lance whined.

"I feel bad I didn't bring you home right away last night." Keith began walking towards the closet where their shoes were. "And besides, if we leave now, we'll beat rush hour traffic."

Lance smiled. "Can't argue with that logic. You're awake enough to drive?"

"I just slept for hours. You're the one I'm worried about." Keith looked towards Lance as he put on his shoes.

"I slept with you. I-I mean I slept, uh, when you did." Lance stuttered, a blush covering his cheeks. Keith smirked, raising his brow. "I-I mean I'm not tired."

"Ready to go, then?" Keith asked as he opened the front door. "Or are we sleeping together again? I'm not opposed either way."

Lance turned a shade of red darker as Keith chuckled, pushing him lightly out the door into the darkness. "Let's go, Aviur."

Keith handed Lance his helmet as they got on the bike, a smirk still on his lips. Starting the bike, Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, gripping tightly with joy. Keith smiled, speeding off through the woods. He expertly navigated the natural curves of the road, the motorcycle headlight their only source of light. The boys soon found the road to the city, turning on easily. Keith sped up, reaching the speed limit. Lance leaned his head on Keith's shoulder, looking past him at the last stars of the night sky. As he looked bak to the road, a horn blared loudly.

"Fuck!" Keith yelled, swerving as the sound of tires and brakes squealing filled the air. As the bike flew towards the semi, Lance lost his grip on Keith, screaming as he slipped off the bike.

Then, everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Bellflowers represent undying love and Corianders represent lust


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Implied panic and anxiety attack at the end warning**

Saturday, September 9th, 4:33 am

There were no sounds. The silence was unbearable. Keith forced his eyes open, blinded by white light. He blinked slowly, letting his eyes adjust. 

Everything hit him then, a high pitched scream from engines, the smell of gasoline dripping on the pavement, the taste of metallic blood dripping from his nose and mouth, and the pain. Oh, the pain. Everything felt like it was on fire, however Keith couldn't feel his left arm or leg at all. He sat up, feeling a stabbing sensation flow through his body, ending in his ribs. He looked around, trying to remember exactly what happened. A bike that looked just like his was wrapped around the front of a semi, whose contents spilled from the trailer in a steady stream maybe a foot from where he sat. The driver stood behind it, shaking his head as he watched the waterfall of goods as he spoke on the phone. Looking back at the bike, Keith's eyes found a body that lay in the grassy ditch.

_Lance!_

Keith reached towards him, feeling pain shoot through his body. Keith grit his teeth, inching forward.  _I have to get to him._

He got up on his right leg, stumbling a few feet closer to the crumpled body. He crawled forward, his left leg failing painfully under his weight. He felt warm tears drip down his cheeks as he struggled forward. 

"Lance." His throat refused to release a sound and he stopped moving, coughing up blood. He pulled himself further, his hand barely reaching Lance's fingertips.  _Closer._ He moved an inch.  _Closer._ He could grasp Lance's hand now.  _Closer!_ He cried out as he pushed himself one last time, collapsing besides Lance to catch his breath. He sat up in agony, moving Lance's hair out of his face. Blood pooled under Lance's head, clumping his hair together. "Lance, please, open your eyes."

Keith heard a distant siren, no doubt coming his way. "You're going to be okay, Lance. Just...open your eyes, please."

Keith's words were swallowed up by the sob that escaped his lips. It hurt to cry but that was all Keith could do as he looked at the calm expression on Lance's face. The sirens were closer, deafening to Keith's sore ears.

"Lance, I'm sorry." Keith gasped, kissing Lance's lips lightly. "Please, just wake up."

He squeezed Lance's hand tighter, bringing it to his lips for another tender kiss. He dropped Lance's hand, leaning away from him to cough up another round of blood. Keith heard the slam of car doors and he gripped Lance's hand again, a pulsing beginning in his head due to the lights and sounds.

"Keith!" A familiar voice broke through the veil of darkness that had begun to close around Keith. He saw his sister and friends following paramedics with a stretcher. Acxa grabbed his face, looking at it closely for any serious damage. Keith kept his eyes on Lance, hand in hand as the gang babied Keith. The paramedics checked for a pulse and everything went silent, the world stopping as everyone waited.

"There's a pulse, but it's faint. Get the cart!" One yelled and they lifted Lance from the ground, setting his unresponsive body on the stretcher. They started for the ambulance, one staying for Keith. She moved his left arm slightly and he cried out in pain.

"You have a broken arm, leg, several ribs, and nose, at least. We can get another ambulance."

"No. Let me go with Lance, please." Keith begged, new tears falling over the dried tears and blood. She pursed her lips, debating about the slight break of protocol. She nodded with a sigh, going back to the ambulance for help.

"Keith, what happened?" Shiro asked, catching Keith's gaze.

"I...I don't remember." Keith watched as the ambulance backed up until it was right in front of the gang. Two paramedics assisted Keith into the blue padded bench on the left, gently elevating Keith's broken leg. The gang got in their cars, prepared to follow the ambulance to the hospital. Keith took Lance's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. As the back doors closed, a paramedic grabbed a bag valve mask from a cabinet, all the paramedics talking fast about Lance's condition.

"Hey. It's Keith, right?" The paramedic from before asked, looking at the broken bones closer. Her eyes hovered over Keith's self-inflicted marks on his arm, before moving to his leg. "I'm Angela."

Keith kept his eyes on Lance as the paramedics both checked his vitals and wounds and gently cleaned the blood from his head.

"I know you're worried about Lance, but he's in good hands, I promise. The one assisting his ventilation is Ezra. Aida is the one cleaning his wounds. And Jupiter is driving the Robeast, which is what we call our ambulance." Angela smiled lightly, feeling his leg delicately. Keith nodded, not taking his eyes from Lance. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Keith nodded again, glancing at Angela. He turned back to Lance to see Aida hooking an IV to Lance's pale arm.

"How long have you two been together?" Angela asked with a smile, her heart going out to them. Keith smiled gently, a blush lightly covering his cheeks.

"That's a long answer." Keith looked to their connected hands. "Short answer: since last night, technically."

Angela nodded, a light twinkle in her eyes. Her smile faded away as Aida dialed the hospital for an emergency surgery. She winced, hoping to distract Keith from the painful situation. "Tell me the long answer."

"Well, we started off as rivals. We  _hated_ each other. Then, we got drunk one night and..." Keith trailed off, a nostalgic blush crossing his features. "We both pretended it didn't happen for a while, both of us confused. I finally realized I liked Lance. We went on our first date last night, set up by our friends. Then..."

Keith stopped, unable to form the words. He knew what happened, he didn't forget like he told Shiro. He wished he did. Tears dripped down his cheeks as his mind replayed the crash over and over. Angela watched with concern, feeling Keith's heartbeat speed up under his fingers. "Keith! Snap out of it!"

Keith inhaled sharply, looking at her with an intensity and despair. He didn't say a word, instead looking at Lance. The Robeast slowed down before coming to a complete stop. Angela knew they had to get Lance in the operation room fast if there was any hope or chance of survival. She knelt in front of Keith, catching his eye as Aida and Ezra prepped Lance for movement. "Keith? I need you to stay here while we get Lance in there. I'll come back to help you myself. Can you do this for me?"

Keith nodded, watching Lance as the ambulance doors opened. Doctors waited outside as the four paramedics got the gurney out of the Robeast and began running it into the hospital. Then, Lance was out of sight and Keith was left alone in the silence with his thoughts and memories.

The waiting was unbearable. Not only did his mind replay the crash over and over, but he began to question as the time passed.  _Why is it taking so long? Did Lance's condition worsen?_

That question spiraled into several other, causing Keith's anxiety to quicken his pulse. Pain shot through his body as his breathing sped up. He began hyperventilating as he saw the doors open again. Angela ran to him, shaking him gently as she spoke softly. Keith shook his head, gasping for breath as he squeezed his eyes shut. Angela stood, grabbing a syringe from the cabinet. She filled it swiftly with 10ml of Propofol before grabbing Keith's right arm and injecting the sedative into his blood stream. As everything began to go dark, Keith saw the accident again in his mind and one final question surfaced.

_Would Lance make it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith are in the hospital??? Will Lance make it?? What about Keith??
> 
> Guys, I want to tell you something that I find hilarious. This was not where i was going to go with this story AT ALL. I was planning on them driving home peacefully with a romantic kiss to end the date and basically end the first part of the story with them dating publicly (aww). Then, I remembered my writing motto: "What will make the characters happy and what can I do to keep it from them?" The idea appeared and I rolled with it, so enjoy this unexpected twist!
> 
> Thank you for all your support and I love you all! God bless you!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***ANXIETY ATTACK WARNING***

Bright light streamed in through the open windows of the room. Before facing the light, Keith let out a groan as all the pain came rushing back to him.

"Just breath, Keith. I'm starting your morphine line now." A male doctor with glasses and a black beard pressed a button near Keith's head as he forced his eyes open. "I'm Doctor Gorma."

"Lance." Keith spoke, his throat sore and scratchy. Doctor Gorma was silent, clearly thinking how to phrase his words. Keith's breath hitched. "Is he..."

"Lance is...stable for now." The doctor turned, mumbling to himself as he entered information into the computer. Keith let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, wincing as his ribs adjusted painfully. "Your family and friends are waiting to see you. Do you feel ready for visitors?"

Keith nodded slightly, watching the door as Doctor Gorma left to get everyone.  _Lance was okay._ Relief flooded through him as the door opened again, the whole gang practically running in.

"Keith!" Acxa hugged him, causing a yelp to escape his lips. She let go instantly. "Sorry. We're so glad you're okay. We were so worri-"

"Have any of you heard of Lance's condition?" Keith interrupted, watching them all share concerned glances. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Allura spoke lightly. "Keith, maybe you should rest for-"

"Please tell me." Keith begged. Lotor sighed, sharing a glance with Shiro and Acxa.

"Keith, Lance has just gone into his second surgery." As Lotor approached, Keith could see dried tear stains on his cheeks. Keith couldn't make a sound, his head overwhelmed.

"His first surgery was to prevent secondary injury by helping to maintain blood flow and oxygen to the brain." Allura spoke, taking Acxa's hand. "The surgery he's in now is to transplant Olfactory ensheathing cells into his spinal cord in hopes of correcting the paraplegia."

"That's paralysis of the legs." Pidge jumped in, staring at the floor.

Keith's breath hitched. His vision blurred as tears fell fast.  _This was his fault._ He heard the heart monitor speed up and his friends' gasps. He gripped the sheets as his breath sped up, the crash playing again in his head.  _I've nearly killed Lance._ He squeezed his eyes shut, his chest and ribs screaming in pain as he hyperventilated.  _My rival._ He grabbed his head, pulling his hair as he screamed out.  _My friend._ All the monitors besides him were yelling now and footsteps grew louder as doctors ran down the hall. He clenched his fist so tight the knuckles turned white.  _My crush._ His fingernails cut into his palm, drawing blood as he opened his eyes slightly.  _My lover._ He felt a needle in his arm. He watched the world go dark as the crash played again.  _I'm sorry, Lance._

The gang watched as the doctors pulled the needle of propofol out, letting Keith go as his eyes closed slowly. Acxa gripped Allura's hand tightly, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Coran stroked Allura's hand softly. Shiro had his head buried into Lotor's arm, afraid to watch. Pidge and Hunk clung to each other, eyes glued on Keith.

"What happened to him, Doctor?" Acxa stood, her hand still in Allura's as the emergency doctors filed out. Doctor Gorma sighed as he took Keith's blood pressure.

"Something triggered a panic attack." Doctor Gorma stated, putting the diaphragm of his stethoscope against Keith's chest. Silence filled the room as the gang waited for Doctor Gorma to finish. "He'll be out for a few hours. I'm prescribing a dosage of 150mg of amoxapine daily and therapeutic treatment twice a week."

Acxa nodded, sitting back down silently as Doctor Gorma took Keith's temperature. As Doctor Gorma left, Acxa deflated, tears pouring from her eyes rapidly. Allura pulled her into a hug and Shiro took her hand gently. "It's just like my parents all over again."

The gang huddled together on the hospital couch, hugging Acxa tightly as she wept. A knock interrupted the tender hug and Doctor Omnia, Lance's doctor, came in. The gang still clung tight to Acxa, watching the doctor for the report.

"The surgert was successful." The gang breathed a sigh of relief, helping Acxa to wipe the tears from her face. "However, to allow Lance's brain to heal safely, we gave him enough penobarbital to induce a controlled coma."

"How long will he be out?" Lotor asked as everyone's hearts ached again.

"At the least, two months. At the most, six months. We're monitoring his condition but I'm afraid that's all I can give you right now." She smiled gently, nodding and walking out.

Acxa stood abruptly, walking to the big window in Keith's room. She watched the tide roll in and cover the sandy beach slowly, controlling her breathing as her therapist had taught her. Then, she grabbed a chair and slid it next to Keith's bed, sitting down and taking Keith's hand. Lotor nodded to the gang, who began filing out quietly. Allura took a chair and moved it besides Acxa as the door closed behind the gang.

"They'll both be okay." Allura said, tenderly taking Acxa's free hand in hers. She planted a light kiss on Acxa's temple, both girls watching Keith's calm breaths.

_They'll both be okay._


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***SO SORRY BUT ANOTHER ANXIETY ATTACK WARNING***

Saturday, September 30th, 10:31 am

"Well Keith, I'm happy to report that your nose and ribs are fully healed. Your leg has about 4 more weeks and your arm has 7 more weeks." Doctor Gorma reported cheerfully, patting Keith's good shoulder lightly.

"Has he healed enough for a little wheelchair voyage?" Keith's medical therapist, Farla, asked softly.

"Yes, but he'll need to stay in the hospital until his leg fully heals." Doctor Gorma replied, smiling as he left. Farla nodded to Keith, who was confused, as always, by Farla's therapy methods. Farla walked out, leaving a confused Keith and Acxa.

"Where's she going?" Acxa asked. Keith shrugged, used to Farla's spontaneity and crazy ideas. Farla came back in with a smile and a wheelchair.

"Come on, Keith. We need to take a field trip." Farla said, her and Acxa helping Keith move his healing body into the chair. He winced as he settled in, Farla waiting until he was comfortable.

"Where are we going?" Keith asked as Farla began pushing him through the halls. Acxa followed behind in silence, confusion written on her face.

"Two stops." Farla smiled, turning down a hall and exchanging a glance with Acxa, a raised brow on her face. "Both scenic views of beauty."

Acxa nodded, recognition flashing in her eyes. Keith was still confused. Maybe he was on too much amoxapine. They turned again and the doors to the courtyard emerged from the wall. Acxa opened the doors and the three went out into the late September day. Keith closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. Farla pushed him out next to a bench where she sat besides Acxa. Keith looked around as Farla whispered to Acxa what was going on, trying to keep it out of Keith's ear shot. The tall Aspens and Elms were beginning to lost their green, slowly being replaced with vibrant hues of red, orange, and yellow. A few fluffy white clouds floated through the blue sky, casting shadows upon Keith's face. Keith closed his eyes as the chilly wind hit Keith's face.

Fifteen minutes of peace later, Acxa poked Keith's good arm. "You awake?"

Keith nodded, opening his eyes again. "If I have to be."

"Ready for our next stop?" Farla asked, standing and stretching her legs. Keith nodded, taking one final deep breath of the outside air as Farla began pushing him back inside the stuffy hospital environment. They arrived at the patient elevators and rode down a level. Farla exchanged a nod with Acxa, who smiled innocently at Keith.

"Where are we going?" Keith asked.

"Remember what we've discussed." Farla turned down a hallway. "Distract your mind by looking at details."

Keith nodded, watching as a pair of nurses led a bed into the patient elevators they just exited.  _Blue scrubs._ His nurses had green scrubs and Farla wore burgundy. Different level of care. Keith looked around, searching for other details. He blinked, realizing the lights were more dim. The walls were white and plain, vacant of picture frames, and the floor was bleak concrete. As they turned a corner, a sign hung on the wall.

"Intensive Care Unit? Why are we here?" Keith asked as Farla slowed down outside a door. Keith read the name and his breath hitched.  _Creswell, Lance._

_Lance_ _._ Keith let out a shaky breath, looking to his sister. She nodded silently, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Are you alright, Keith?"

Keith nodded, not trusting his voice as his heart began to race. Farla exchanged a glance with Acxa as she opened the door, causing Keith to let out another shaky breath. Acxa put her hand on Keith's arm as they went into the room. Farla closed the door behind them, both girls watching Keith closely. Keith looked at both of them before turning his attention to the hospital bed.  _Lance._  

His breath left him as his eyes fell on Lance. The light from the curtained windows fell on Lance's peaceful face. His head was covered in white bandages, the sight filling Keith with guilt and regret. The blanket draped over Lance's body hid most of the road rash and scars, but Keith could see the outline of braces surrounding his legs.  _Lance, I'm so sorry._ Keith pried his eyes away, looking to his sister and Farla.

"Can I...Can you push me closer?" He winced, his voice coming out small. Farla smiled gently, pushing him besides Lance's bed.

"We'll be in the hallway if you need anything." Acxa put her hand on Keith's shoulder before following Farla out the door. Keith's eyes fell back on Lance as the door closed behind the pair, and he reached out to brush a piece of hair from Lance's face. Lance looked at peace, his eyes closed softly and his expression neutral. Keith smiled lightly, reminded of the serenity of being in Lance's arms, both after their affair and after they first got together. Before the accident. _The accident._ He closed his eyes, the memories flashing in his mind. The blaring horn of the truck. Lance's screams. The smell of burning rubber. The scent of gas pouring out onto the pavement. He remembered the sight of Lance's crumpled body on the side of the road. He remembered the pool of red expanding under Lance's head. Lance's expression matched his now, tranquil and calm.

"Lance, I don't know if you can hear me or why I'm even here at all." Keith begin, sniffling as his vision began to blur from tears. Keith grabbed Lance's hand softly, worried Lance would break and disappear under his touch. "God, Lance. I'm so sorry."

Keith broke off, choking back a cry. He closed his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks, feeling himself start to shake as sobs wracked his body. He gripped Lance's hand delicately, afraid to let go. He wanted to stay there until Lance woke up so he could see Lance's dark blue eyes. He wanted to kiss Lance's lips and hear him speak. He wanted to tell Lance that everything would be okay. But he didn't know. Keith wasn't sure everything would be okay. He could've killed Lance and...maybe it would have been better if he and Lance had never met, much less gotten together. Lance deserved so much better, and Keith paled in comparison. He gasped, his breathing becoming uneven. Keith dropped Lance's hand, laying his head in his hands as he wept. He gulped for breath, tearing his eyes open. 

"Keith? Are you okay?" Acxa asked, running in besides him. "Farla!"

The women led him out into the hallway, Acxa hugging him tightly. He wept into her shoulder, trying to get a grip on his emotions. 

_You're not good enough for Lance, and he'll realize it soon._


	25. Chapter 25

Sunday, October 1st, 12:01 pm

Keith was confined to the hospital bed from there on out, on strict watch and more depression medication. Farla was relocated and a new therapist hired for him.

Acxa sat with Keith as the new therapist walked in, causing Keith to open his eyes. She was a short pale girl with long pink hair up in a braided bun and chartreuse yellow eyes. She wore burgandy scrubs and a coat of blue-violet lipstick. "My name is Merla Queen."

Keith faked a smile and nodded, sick and tired of all the physiological help he was receiving. He closed his eyes, hoping everyone would leave him alone. He listened to his sister exchange pleasantries before she walked out the door, leaving him and the new therapist alone. He forced his eyes open, looking out the window into the enclosed courtyard. Merla pulled a chair to the foot of his bed and sat, watching him. "Keith, I want to be frank. I don't want any lies or holding anything back. My job is to listen and help you feel better. With that being said, how are you today?"

He looked her in the eyes quizzically before chuckling. "How the fuck do you think I am? I feel like shit, physically and mentally. They have me pumped full of sedatives, pain relievers, and anti-depressants. I don't need any of it. Well...I probably need the pain relievers, I guess."

She nodded, writing something down in her small notepad before looking back at him. "Tell me about Lance."

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, seeing Lance on the side of the road again. He silently shook his head, unable to speak. She jotted down another note. "I know the traumatic memories are present, but think past them. Tell me what he's like. How'd you two meet?"

Keith opened his eyes, smiling for the first time since he went to the hospital. "Oh, well...you see, he and I were rivals, enemies, if you will. We hated each other..."

Every day, Merla and Keith talked. He began to breath easier, and feel better. The doctors reduced his dosage of amoxapine, before taking him off it completely in a week of Merla's arrival. Talking about Lance with Merla helped Keith heal. He felt the butterflies in his stomach replace the pit of guilt. His face grew warm when he recalled their first night, instead of recalling the accident. A few weeks after Merla's first visit, her and Keith were talking in the courtyard. Keith's visit to Lance's room with Farla came up and Keith began to spiral down.

"I...I remember the immediate dread of seeing his name by the door. All the memories came back when I first saw him. Then...the crash. Seeing him lying close to death on the side of the road. And..." Keith paused, squeezing his eyes shut with a sniffle. "And guilt. So much guilt."

"Why guilt?" Merla asked, watching Keith's emotions carefully. Keith laughed lightly.

"Why guilt? Because I'm the one who put him in here! I was driving the bike tired and nearly killed Lance!" Keith put his head in his hands, letting out a sigh. He mumbled something incoherently, causing Merla to raise a brow.

"What was that?"

"I said Lance deserves better than me." Keith looked at Merla, tears streaming down his cheeks. "All I do is hurt those I love. I'm not good with emotion or talking things through and often times, I'm too damn stubborn to listen to logic. Which is why I drove that morning."

"Those are all things that get better with time and practice." Merla smiled gently. "You work on communication with your partner in order to build trust and a healthy relationship."

Keith shook his head. "You don't get it, though. I've always been a complete ass to him. I pushed him away, literally sometimes. He was better off without me."

"Keith, you know that's not true." Merla put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "From what I've heard, you make Lance happy. Lotor told me that you make Lance smile."

"Really? Lotor said that?" Keith looked over in shock. Merla nodded, causing a small flush across Keith's cheeks. The doors to the courtyard opened and Acxa ran to them.

"Keith, we need to go to the ICU now." Acxa huffed, still slightly out of breath from running. Keith furrowed his brows, slightly confused.  _Lance._

"Did something happen to Lance?" Keith asked in a hurry.

"He's waking up."


	26. Chapter 26

Monday, October 23rd, 7:11 pm

"Mmph..." Lance grunted quietly, wincing at the sudden excruciating pain in his head. Several voices surrounded him. He barely recognized them. He didn't know what happened or where he was. He tried recalling anything, causing his head to pulse in pain.  _Neon lights reflected in the water. A cabin deep in the woods._ That's as recent as he could remember. Someone was with him those two times. Lance could see the beautiful face, but the name wasn't coming. Pale skin, dark eyes, long hair, big di- _Keith Aviur._ Despite his pain, Lance felt his face flush.  _Keith._ "Keeee...."

Shiro looked down at Lance, furrowing his brows at the murmurs. The boy hadn't even opened his eyes, having barely just woken from the coma. He listened to the repeated syllable from Lance's mouth. "Keith?"

Lance hushed, hearing the name he was attempting to say. Who was the voice? He recognized it, but couldn't place from where. "Yeah. Kee...Keef."

"How is he?" A new voice entered the mix. Female, along with a strange sound on the ground. Shiro looked at Acxa and Keith, beckoning Merla to bring Keith closer.

"Can we all give them some space?" Pidge yelled over the stressful comotion. The room went silent, looking at the small person with shock at the booming voice they possessed. "In the hallway."

Keith watched the gang file out of the room, leaving just Acxa, Merla, and Shiro with him and Lance. Shiro looked down at Lane with a sigh. "He's been calling for you, Keith."

"Me?" Keith squeaked in shock.  _Why would Lance_ want  _to see me?_ Shiro nodded, before exiting the room, closing the door behind him. Keith looked to Acxa questioningly, everything happening so quickly. She nodded with a slight smile, gesturing to Lance. Merla approached the foot of the bed, pausing Keith.

"Hey, Lance? My name is Merla Queen. I'm Keith's therapist. I know your head is in immense pain but the doctors have begun the flow of morphine that should kick in any second." Merla nodded at Keith as she and Acxa took a seat on the couch a little ways from the pair. Keith took a shaky breath, reassuring himself that everything was fine, Lance was fine.

"Hey, Lance. I'm here." Keith delicately placed his shaky hand over Lance's, afraid Lance would pull away at his touch.

Lance perked up slightly at the sound of Keith's voice, the pain reducing slowly due to the drugs. His eyes remaining shut, Lance grabbed Keith's hand, lacing their fingers together. Keith let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, a light blush and a smile crossing his face. "Keith."

"How do you feel, Lance?" Keith asked, gently rubbing the back of Lance's hand subconsciously.

"Okay, I guess." Lance's words were slurred together as he slowly worked open his eyes. The bright white walls and sinking sunlight stung a little, but he looked over at Keith, who sat in the wheelchair with an arm in a sling. "I'm confused. I don't remember what happened."

Merla spoke up from the couch, seeing Keith freeze and go visibly paler. "Let's not focus on that today."

"O-okay." Lance nodded, turning his attention from the pink haired therapist back to Keith. Lance's eyes became a bit blurry and he blinked a few times, drowsiness beginning to cloud his head. "I'm...I'm getting tired, even though I just woke up."

"That would be the morphine really kicking in." Merla stated, watching Lance closely to make sure he was okay. Lance yawned widely, his grip on Keith's hand tightening slightly.

"You can sleep if you want, Lance." Keith raised a brow.

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm just resting my eyes." Lance slurred, his head bouncing back to the pillow lightly. Before sleep overcame him, he gave Keith's hand a light squeeze, sending a flood of relief and joy through Keith.

"Are you ready to go, Keith?" Acxa asked gently, standing with a stretch. Keith nodded, slowly bringing Lance's hand to his lips before setting it down on the bed, letting him go. Merla pushed Keith out of the room, meeting their friends in the hallway. They were instantly bombarded with questions.

"How is he?"

"Is he awake?"

"Does he remember anything?"

"Fine. Not anymore. Not from the crash." Acxa answered for Keith, staying with the gang as Merla continued through the halls back to Keith's room.

Once they arrived, Merla assisted Keith back into bed. As she was heading out to leave, she heard Keith call her name softly. Walking back in, she saw silent tears streaming down Keith's face. She sat on the bed next to him, watching him closely. "Can you put words to these feelings?"

Keith shrugged, closing his eyes and wiping his cheeks. He spoke in a whisper, tears continuing to spill out. "I'm happy. Sort of. Lance is awake, he remembers me, he still likes me."

Keith smiled through the tears at Merla, then looked back to his sheets, fumbling around with them. Merla cocked her head, looking at Keith quizzically. "There's more. What's wrong, Keith?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head away from Merla. "I'm scared. I've waited for Lance to remember what I've done wrong, I-I mean the accident, and...well...realize that I'm not right for him."

"Why do you dwell on these feelings of fear for your's and Lance's future?" Merla asked. "You know Lance likes you and that will never change. You can see it in his eyes. I understand the anxiety of the situation. There's a clear amount of underlying tension in your relationship. But that's part of it, learning to deal with the fears and talk everything out with the one you care about most. Listen, you two are good, trust me."

Keith felt himself smiling lightly, the tears drying on his cheeks. He relaxed, the fears slowly reducing away for now. "You're right, I suppose. Thank you, Merla."

She smiled. "Hey, just telling the truth. Now, if you're okay, I've got to go. I've got a date."

Keith raised a brow with a smirk. "What's their name?"

Merla blushed lightly. "Lotor."


	27. Chapter 27

Saturday, October 28th, 12:34 pm

"Alright, Keith, today's the big day!" Doctor Gorma stated cheerfully, sitting down next to Keith and Acxa. Merla sat next to them, clipboard in hand with the rest of the gang waiting in the hallway. "Your leg is fully healed, though I recommend taking it easy for a week or two. No sports, elevate it every night, and you're good to go. You still have about 3 weeks recovery time on the arm and I'll schedule weekly checkups. I'm strongly encouraging you continue meeting with Merla, although I'm not requiring it. You are currently on no medication, but if you feel slight pain at all, take some advil and a short nap."

He paused, fumbling around with his clipboard before handing Keith a business card. "My number, Merla's number, and the main hospital number are on here. Call if you need anything. Also, call if you feel unusual pain in your nose, ribs, leg, or arm or you feel lightheaded for longer than an hour. What time next week works for a follow-up appointment?"

Keith looked at Acxa, who shrugged. "Anytime after school. Maybe 5?"

"Does 5:30 on Thursday, November 2nd work?" Doctor Gorma asked, scratching a note down on the clipboard. Keith nodded. "I'll get that all scheduled. Alright, Keith, you're ready to go!"

Keith faked a smile as he stood to his feet, grabbing the backpack of stuff that was brought to entertain him during his stay. Acxa led Keith and Merla out of the room, into the hall where the gang waited.

"Is he free?" Pidge asked quickly. The three nodded and Pidge gave a hoot. "We should celebrate! Lunch on me?"

Keith nodded, looking to Merla. "Go on without me. I'll meet you guys there."

Merla understood instantly, nodding. "I'll drive him."

The gang shrugged, leaving the hospital. Keith and Merla walked to the elevator, riding down in silence. As they stepped out on to the dimly lit floor, Merla looked at Keith. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, it's brilliant and adorable, I just want to make sure you know what you're saying."

"I've been practicing it in my head for days now." Keith smiled lightly, a blush crossing his features as they turned the corner before arriving at the wooden door.  _Creswell, Lance._ Keith took a deep breath as they knocked.

"Enter!" A nurse called, opening the door to let the two in. "Hey, Merla, we were just finishing. He's a little sleepy due to his meds."

Keith walked in, grabbing a chair and moving it besides Lance as the nurse left. "Hey, Creswell."

"Keith." Lance smiled, opening his eyes and turning to Keith. Keith sat down, smiling nervously at Merla as she sat and nodded encouragingly. "You okay, Keith?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something." He turned back to Lance, their eyes meeting as Lance took Keith's hand in his. "Would you like to go in with me?"

Lance furrowed his brows, watching Keith smirk with a light blush. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Well, I'm asking for a date with you, but not at a restaurant or out." Keith glanced to Merla, who was trying to hide her smile. "So, next Tuesday, I want to spend as much time with you here as you're okay with. Would you...would you want to?"

Keith held his breath, waiting for the inevitable rejection. Lance's heart sped up and his eyes brightened, heat spreading across his cheeks. He smiled widely. "Yeah, I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

Keith and Lance smiled at each other, both lost in the joy of the moment. Merla cleared her throat, standing. "So sorry to end this very sweet and romantic moment, but we have to go, Keith. Your friends are at the restaurant."

Keith sighed, a little disappointed he couldn't stay longer. He could see the exhaustion in Lance's eyes though and he nodded. Keith stood, leaning down to kiss Lance's cheek gently. He pushed Lance's bangs behind his ear as he stood up straight, a smile on his lips as he saw Lance's cute face of joy. "Goodbye, Lance. I'll see you Tuesday."

"Mmm, Tuuu...day." Lance drifted off to sleep with the mumble, the meds truly kicking in. Keith and Merla made their way out of the hospital in silence, Keith unable to rid the smile on his face.


End file.
